A New Era
by Organ Man
Summary: The Pokemon Revolution is over. The world has changed forever. How has it affected the lives of the people and Pokemon of the world?
1. Recruitment

This isn't really a story...basically a collection of oneshots from the perspectives of the people and Pokemon living in this New Era alternate reality. I put a lot of thought into this story though, and I hope you enjoy it.

It was a grey, cloudy morning over Pallet Town. One barely noticed the rising sun. Kent woke up to the clanging of the town's bell. Like any child, he would have loved to ignore it and fall back asleep. But this was too important a day to do that. Slowly Kent rose up and got himself dressed.

Walking down the stairs of the small house for two, Kent saw that his mom had woken up early and made him the best breakfast she could. She was waiting for him at the table, her dusty quarry clothes on. She smiled warmly. "Good morning, sweetheart."

"Morning, mom." Kent sat down and ate his pancakes. They were dry - their small oven they had could only do so much – but Kent said nothing. For all he knew, this could be one of the last meals he had with Mom.

"I got your report all ready." Kent's mother displayed a small checklist attached to a loop of string. Kent's school marks in Agriculture, Engineering, History, Service and Medicine. Kent's marks weren't very high…he was an average student. But not too bad, which was cause for hope.

Now though, that part of his education was over. He had turned 10 a few months ago, and a messenger Delibird gave the family the notice. Today was the day. Soon a transport would arrive to take him to the old Pokemon Lab, where his future would be determined.

They both ate breakfast in silence. Kent's mother was optimistic, but Kent was very worried. What if the ministers heard about that…thing? What if Adan was right and his next stop would be the…mines?

The transport would be a few minutes, so Kent turned on the TV. Something had to break the uncomfortable silence.

A Pikachu in rich, regal robes was signing a document with a quill pen. A Meowth in a simpler but stylish suit was standing beside him as a witness. A narrator explained. "And here is the king's faithful aide, Lord Kachu, notarizing the document alongside his trusted friend and fellow advisor, Baron Kat. The treaty ended the horrific war, and ushered in a new era, full of hope for the future. Regarding the future peace, Lord Kachu had this to say. 'There have been many sacrifices made. Some have affected the king and I more than anyone suspects. But now we can look forward to peace and recovery, for the children of Pokemon and humans alike. Things have changed forever, there is no escap-'"

Kent shut the TV off. He had seen this newsreel before.

The boy paced the floor of his house repeatedly. It was true what they said…the waiting was the hardest part. His mother watched, concerned as well. Lord Kachu's words rang in her head. "Things have changed forever." They had…she could remember when a time like this meant something entirely different to a child in Pallet town…

Finally, Kent voiced what was on his mind. "Mom, will they send me to the mines?"

Mom was shocked by the idea. "No! Of course not! What made you think that?"

"W-well, on our last history test last month, I said it was Lord Achoo and Adan laughed and told me I was mocking the rulers and they would send me overseas to the mines…"

His mother stopped him and looked him in the eye. "Listen, sweetie. They do not send anyone to the mines for that. No. You are not going to the mines. You are a good, smart kid. They only send criminals to the mines."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure. You'll go somewhere better than the quarry. I know it."

A noise on the driveway alerted them to the fact a transport had arrived. Kent and his mother looked out. A grey bus with the words 'Recruiting Lab' on the side was waiting. It was for Kent.

In a way, they were glad the transport had arrived now, and not after the bus to the quarry took Kent's mother. Now she could see Kent off. She gave him a hug for good luck just outside their small home.

Kent took a deep breath and walked aboard the transport. The driver, a burly Machamp, closed the door and drove off.

Not all the children were as scared as Kent was. Some chattered excitedly. A few boasted they would work in some of the Minister's mansions. Most hoped they would go into their favourite vocation. Some were praying they could stay close to home, and others were eager to go overseas and see more. Adan saw Kent and smirked. Kent avoided the conversations and looked out the windows.

The passed by a thoroughly ruined Pokeball warehouse, long ago destroyed in the Pokemon revolution. Wretched men and women crawled through the wreckage, hoping desperately to find a ball that would make them masters again. Police Arcanine, Vigoroth and Skarmory chased them off repeatedly, but they always returned, clawing like rats at a dead past.

The Pokemon Centre, on the other hand, had been expanded and fixed up to the point where it looked like a shrine. The Pokeball symbol had been removed, of course. The building itself had been elevated. It had once been little more than a hospital, but now it served as custom apartments for Pokemon. Kent had gone in once on a Service assignment…even the smallest apartment was better than his home. In front of the building was a large statue. It depicted King Mewtwo, a powerful figure in armour and cape, holding his hand up in triumph. Beside him were Lord Kachu and Baron Kat, in similar poses.

The town's former Pokemon Lab had remained more or less untouched, a simple, large building. It had often be petitioned that the place and labs around the world be demolished, but Lord Kachu had held a referendum that declared the places be preserved, out of respect for the past era. It was a slim majority that voted them preserved.

The children were ushered into the building by the driver, and went into a large room with a few windows, a handful of motivational posters to relax the children, and nothing else. The children were arranged in rows, facing inwards and standing straight. Kent made sure his report was around his neck and in full view. It was.

The Machamp counted them, smiled upon seeing no-one missing, and clapped twice as a signal.

From another room, a Grovyle, Monferno and Croconaw walked into the room, scanning the children quickly. A few of the boys and girls gulped nervously. A Graveler and an Electabuzz followed them in, wiping their mouths of the food they had just finished while waiting. All were wearing robes of different colors, with a badge that signified them as Ministers. The color of their robes decreed what they were minister of. Green was agriculture, red was excavation, blue was shipping, brown was architecture, and yellow was engineering. Kent noticed that the red-and-white cloak of medicine and the white robe of service were missing, but didn't say anything. It was impolite for humans to speak first in the presence of the ministers.

The Machamp greeted them all with a bow. "Honorable ministers. Welcome. Everyone is ready, as requested. Now…"

He had a speech, but Grovyle, the minister of agriculture, stopped him. "Save it, please."

Electabuzz the minister of engineering agreed. "Think we all want this to be over quick huh?" Almost everyone present nodded. A girl nearly spoke, but saw Monferno watching her and buttoned her lip. The minister of excavation was in charge of the mines…the last thing anyone wanted was to make him angry.

The ministers walked around the room, closely surveying each and every one of the children. A child shivered in fright when Monferno took her report in his paw. Adan looked over at Kent and sneered. Kent bit his lip in fright.

Another lad gulped when Croconaw looked him over. The minister of shipping didn't just decide who would work at the docks and on the ferries and barges – he decided who would be sent to lands overseas. Croconaw looked closely at the report before moving to another prospect.

Machamp looked around, puzzled. "Where are the ministers of medicine and service?"

Graveler, who was the minister of architecture (he had sent Kent's mother to the quarry to collect building materials long ago) shrugged. "They said they wanted some fresh air and walked outside half an hour ago…"

Suddenly, a crazed man with a scraggly beard barged into the room, screaming at the ministers. "Your rule ends here! I have two of your ministers and now I will have you all!" He raised a black-and-yellow orb in his hand…

The ministers were upon him in a second. The man never stood a chance- a thunderwave from Electabuzz and stun spores from Grovyle brought the man down, the Ultra Ball rolling from his hands. Graveler made sure it was empty before crushing it in his hand. Machamp held the man's arms to his sides as Grovyle took a belt with orbs attached from the screaming man.

"You freaks! YOU are the servants, not us! We were never meant to cower under you! I swear by all that's holy, this regime will end and when it does, we will crush you all like the insects you are, you ba-" The Machamp silenced him with one of his hands. "There are children present."

None of the children had moved. They had been warned long ago and many times about how any uprising against the Pokemon would turn out. Now they saw it firsthand.

The minister of agriculture took two of the ultra balls from the belt and tapped a button on both. Two beams of light came out, forming a Chansey and a Gardevoir, both bewildered and scared.

"Ministers of medicine and service, are you all right?"

The Gardevoir, longtime minister of service, nodded. "He ambushed us, we never saw those things coming." She described as she helped the minister of medicine to her feet.

Relieved, Grovyle handed the balls and belt to Graveler to be destroyed. The ministers all scowled at the struggling man. Monferno and Croconaw approached him glaring. Then the minister of excavation placed a red circle marker on the man's chest, with the minister of shipping adding a blue arrow marker. Those markers signified him for the mines overseas.

"Get him out of our sight." Monferno snarled. Machamp carried away the struggling man.

Grovyle turned to Gardevoir and sighed. "Least one every year."

"I'm just glad it wasn't one of the children this time."

Remembering the children, the ministers got back to surveying the children in the room.

Eventually, decisions were made for each future. Boys and girls were given markers designating their future work. A girl with a white marker was relived she was going into service, likely a maid to one of the barons or ministers. Hopefully not Monferno. Adan sighed resigningly at the brown marker signifying him for architectural work…either working at the quarry or building houses. A brother and sister smiled when they saw each other's green markers – they would be farmers together. Another lad cried quietly on seeing the blue arrow and red-and-white marker…work as a doctor in another country. He vowed to ask how to send the money to his parents.

Kent had shut his eyes in terror when he saw Monferno walk his way, and feared the worst when he felt a marker placed on his chest. He wouldn't open his eyes until he felt a thump on his shoulder.

"Be a man now." The minister of agriculture's voice chided him. Kent slowly opened his eyes to look at his marker.

It was yellow.

Kent whooped with relief. Engineering…probably factory work for him. And no blue arrow…he would stay near home. Kent smiled for the first time since that morning.

Like everyone else, Kent would go into a specialty school for a few years, learning the ins and outs of his job and finding what position he'd be best in. Then, barring any unforeseen changes, he would work there for years until he could retire. During that time, he would be accountable to the minister of Engineering, not to mention Lord Kachu and the King.

The children were led back out to the transport, to return home and discuss their futures with their parents. The ministers started to leave as well, but the minister of agriculture lingered behind. The minister of service returned and asked him why.

Grovyle motioned to the former Pokemon lab in general. "Years ago, when I was a Treecko, I was in this building, waiting to see what human child would pick me and decide my future."

Gardevoir smiled slightly. "Things have certainly changed, haven't they?"

"Yes, they sure have."


	2. Meeting

With the recruitment meetings complete for another year, the Pokemon ministers were eager for what would happen next. Aboard a luxury transport, reclining in the fine leather seats, they sped towards a colossal mansion, where they would have a hearty feast before their business discussion with the King and Lord Kachu.

Lord Kachu's home was the definition of regal splendour. At least a dozen of Kent's houses could fit into the area the mansion occupied. Statues of Palkia, Dialga and Arceus watched over a beautiful entrance garden, leading up to wooden doors with intricately carved murals of legends of the world. A small but gorgeous stained glass window depicted the owner of the mansion, the Pikachu in robes, Lord Kachu. And then there was the interior…

Grovyle rapped the door with the gold knocker, which was shaped like a Jigglypuff one was trying to gag. The door was quickly opened, and a young human with dark hair and glasses looked at the guests. Recognizing them, he bowed respectfully and called into the house.

"Lord Kachu, the ministers have arrived!"

"Thank you, Max. I will be down in a moment. Allow them in…and don't forget their cloaks."

Max obeyed, allowing the Pokemon ministers inside. They were greeted with an entrance hall larger than many human bedrooms. A lush carpet warmed their feet, its design complimenting perfectly the works of art on the walls. A jewelled chandelier hung over the ministers head, and beautiful music sang throughout the halls from a phonograph. Steppe-like structures were strategically placed all around the mansion. The place required a lot of servants to maintain…which may have been the idea.

The young man Max relieved the ministers of their cloaks of office politely. The minister of excavation noticed the boy was wearing a respectable butler's suit. Many humans he had seen wore more…demeaning costumes, proclaiming their status as servants to the Pokemon. Monferno recalled with a low chuckle a friend of his who, having lost patience with a particularly belligerent human, forced the wretched man to go out in public naked and learn his place. In the opinion of the minister of excavation, Lord Kachu spoiled his workers.

Lord Kachu hopped down from the stairway and settled himself on one of the steppes. The Pikachu was small, and had the steppe structures placed so he could make eye contact with the ministers and servants. Nevertheless, small or not he held a lot of power and respect, both as the right hand of King Mewtwo…and as an incredibly strong electric Pokemon in general. The ministers all bowed to the Lord clad in robes.

"Welcome to my home, ministers. I'm glad all of you have arrived. I …heard of the ambush on two of you. I was concerned."

The minister of service rubbed the back of her neck. "We're fine, thank you milord."

Lord Kachu smiled. "Good to hear. I've just been communicating with the King and Baron Kat. They are going to be late, but they permit us to begin. Max, kindly show the ministers to the dining hall, please."

"Yes, Lord Kachu." Max nodded and bid the Pokemon to follow him.

"I'll join you shortly…I need to get myself ready." With a nod, Lord Kachu bounded back up the stairs.

Following the small human to the dining hall, the ministers looked around at the artwork Kachu hung in his halls. Beautiful paintings depicting the legendaries; Articuno, Entei, Celebi, Jirachi, Shaymin, Darkrai. All in stunning realism. There was one of King Mewtwo as well, and a particularly epic piece depicting Lugia and Ho-oh.

One painting in particular caught Monferno's displeased eye. It depicted Lord Kachu without his robes of office, surrounded by several young humans. A younger Max was there, as well as a girl with a red ponytail, an older boy with squinted eyes, and two other girls, one with a bandana and brown hair, another with a white hat and black hair. In the centre of the painting was a boy with proud, determined eyes, a red and white cap, a blue jacket and jeans, with Kachu sitting on his shoulder, smiling.

Monferno scowled at the picture. "Why does Kachu keep this picture up?" he muttered to Grovyle. "Why did he even have it painted?"

Grovyle cuffed Monferno slightly. "SOME of us have a healthy respect for the past. Now quiet."

Monferno hushed as they entered the dining hall. The table was carved oak, a huge thing to seat all the ministers. At the head of the table were three chairs, for the hosts. Max showed each of the ministers to their seats, which had been custom made for each specific minister. Once they were all seated, Max excused himself to inform Lord Kachu.

One of the girls from the painting, the one with brown hair, walked in carrying a large platter. "Lord Kachu will be another minute. Please avail yourselves with this for now."

Placing the platter on the centre of the table, she lifted the lid and revealed a salad consisting of rice cakes and gourmet balls of meat. The ministers helped themselves, all except for Monferno, who wouldn't touch the food on principle. It was based on the Pokefood the humans had fed them before the revolution. Back when they were servants for their games.

The others enjoyed the rice and meat immensely. The minister of architecture called out to the girl. "Delicious as always, May! Give my compliments to the chef!"

May smiled as she left the room. "I will tell Brock you enjoyed it, minister."

The ministers sat back in their seats, looking around the room. Another beautiful chandelier watched them from above. Around them were more paintings, abstract works of art depicting peace, hope and contentment. A record player played a wonderful composition by a famous Pokemon conductor, a tune the minister of engineering caught himself humming to. The minister of excavation tapped his silverware against his goblet impatiently.

Fortunately, the ministers did not have to wait long. Lord Kachu, in a slightly less fancy outfit for dining, walked into the room with a smile on his face. Beside him was the boy from the painting, the one with the cap. He was older now, but still looked like the child Kachu had sat on the shoulder of. Although his eyes were somewhat…blank compared to the picture. He wasn't wearing that cap, and seemed to have traded his jacket and jeans for a fine waiter's uniform. He was carrying a wine bottle and a jug of water. Lord Kachu hopped onto one of the seats at the head of the table.

He gestured to the boy. "Ash, please serve these ministers their drinks."

"Yes, milord." The young man walked around the table, asking the ministers if they wanted simple water or fine wine, and pouring the chosen drink into their goblets.

Monferno sneered. "You still say 'please' to your humans, Kachu?" Kachu appeared not to hear the question.

Once all the goblets had been filled, the minister of shipping called a toast. "To our host, Lord Kachu!"

"To Lord Kachu!" everyone agreed, raising their glasses.

"To King Mewtwo!" Grovyle added.

"To the king!" everyone echoed.

"To Nido the great." Monferno noted quietly.

He had been quiet, but everyone heard him. Blank stares and a silence greeted him. Lord Kachu was apparently not amused.

Monferno shrugged. "You claim to a healthy respect for the past. Face it, Nido is the one who started the revolution. He made all this possible."

"True." Kachu would say no more on the subject, and there was a dead silence for a few moments.

Then a dinner bell rang, breaking the awkward silence much to everyone's relief. The three young ladies walked in, carrying colored platters of food for each of the ministers. Misty, May and Dawn placed the food in front of each of the respective Pokemon.

The minister of agriculture received the green platter, and the lid lifted to reveal a hearty salad. The minister of engineering ate into a spaghetti meal with fine cheese. The minister of excavation heated up his steak himself. The minister of medicine thanked Misty for handing her a yummy casserole. The minister of service was pleased with her pasta dish. The minister of shipping worked his strong jaws on a plate of well-cooked fish.

Lord Kachu had very simple taste in food, accepting a hamburger with plenty of ketchup on it. The only one with simpler taste was the minister of architecture…his plate was literally rocks, which he munched with relish.

The ministers cheerfully ate their dinner and the conversation resumed. The three girls left, while Ash stood dutifully by Lord Kachu.

The minister of agriculture asked, "What of the King and Baron Kat?"

Lord Kachu answered. "He was telling me that the minister of defence was insisting on an audience with him regarding this morning's incident."

"Of course." The Electabuzz sighed. "That paranoid Skarmory sees a rebellion in every human too big for his shoes."

"He said they'd spend an hour or so pretending to listen to the poor bird and arrive as soon as they could."

Croconaw cleared his throat and raised his glass. In a moment Ash was there, refilling the goblet.

"I don't see why we can't begin the meeting now." Grovyle remarked.

Lord Kachu bit into his hamburger, and waved his hand to say 'Alright'.

Chansey took out a folder she had been carrying. "According to my figures, things are actually very stable in most of the areas. Medicine, Architecture, Engineering…although I have to say, the service sector is a bit…overstaffed."

"It's the most respectable career to most of the humans. The children strive for it more, so we have a lot of applicants. Too many, we think." Gardevoir explained.

"You could always send the unneeded to the mines. We're a bit understaffed." Monferno suggested, only to be greeted by bad looks from the other ministers.

"We're trying to avoid that."

"I've heard a lot of horror stories about the mines from the quarry. They use them to convince the children to behave."

"I remember a couple weeks ago. Two women I was transporting to your mines threw themselves over the railing without lifejackets rather than disembark." Croconaw added. "They're terrified of the place, these humans."

"There's a lot of truth to those stories. I've seen those mines."

Lord Kachu made an announcement. "So have I and the king. We all agreed that those mines would only be for the criminals, not the children."

"True, but be realistic. The metals we need won't mine themselves." The minister of excavation explained.

"Couldn't you use more machines?" Ash suggested.

"Be quiet, human! You have no right to speak here! How dare you!" Monferno snarled, angry that the help had so much as opened his mouth in his presence. Embers appeared in his hands, ready to punish.

"Minister!" Gardevoir snapped, stopping him.

"Actually, he has a point." The minister of engineering remarked. "We could expand the engineering sector; use the surplus from the service sector."

While they were talking, Kachu looked at Ash and put a silencing finger on his mouth.

"And you must admit, minister, the mines would be more efficient."

That the minister of excavation did not argue. Instead he continued to glower at the young man who had spoken out of turn. "You really treat your servants too well, Kachu. They don't know their place."

Lord Kachu held his tongue, but someone hiding under the table would see that he was raking the underside with his claws. Just then, Max appeared and ran to Lord Kachu's side. "Lord Kachu, the King and Baron Kat have just arrived."

The Pikachu smiled. "They've arrived. If you will excuse me." Nodding and trying to hide his excitement, the Lord walked out to the front door.

Ash was about to follow, but the minister of excavation stopped him. "Come here, boy…"

Lord Kachu walked with a dignified grace until he felt he was out of eyesight of the ministers. Then he dropped on all fours and ran with all speed towards the entrance.

Waiting for him was Mewtwo and Meowth. Mewtwo had been convinced that a king's robes and outfit would properly communicate his authority to the humans as well as the Pokemon. So he wore a regal, simple but splendid set of armour imbedded with precious stones and a flowing cape, making him look every inch a king.

Baron Kat preferred to look like a classic 'cool cat'- a red-and-black tuxedo made him look like a genuine upper-class gentlemen. Fancy, but not as ostentatious as Mewtwo's armour or Kachu's robes.

"My king." Lord Kachu bowed low in deep respect to Mewtwo. Between him and the Baron, however, there was no show of formality.

"Heya, buddy! Good t' see ya!"  
"Good to see you too, Baron Kat!" Lord Kachu embraced his friend in welcome. "Or should I say, Meowth of Team Rocket?"  
"Meowth! Dat's right! Remember dose days?"  
"How could I forget?"

_AHEM._ A deep voice sounded itself in both of their heads. The king certainly didn't begrudge the two a happy reunion after months, but he was still here.

The Lord and Baron turned to the King and blushed. "Ah…my apologies, you majesty."

Mewtwo shrugged it off. _Do not worry. How goes the meeting?_

"Very well, actually. We began a little early. We're considering mechanizing the mines, other than that – Oh! My manners. Follow me to the dining hall."

The Meowth, Pikachu and Mewtwo walked through the hall of portraits towards the dining room. On the way, Lord Kachu stopped by the painting of himself, Ash, Misty, May, Max and Brock, from the days before the revolution. Baron Kat noticed him staring wistfully at the picture, and joined him.

"How could I forget?" The Pikachu sighed. "Seems like a lifetime ago now…"

"Back when I was always tryin' to grab youse?"

"Oh yes!" A smile returned to Kachu's face. "And I always sent you flying over the distant horizon. Heheh. By the way, how are Jessie and James?"

"Uh…" Meowth rubbed the back of his head. "Adjustin'. Alright but…we're kinda still getting used to this. It's been a real turnaround."

_For all of us,_ Mewtwo agreed.

Pikachu nodded. "Yes, a turnaround. Indeed." The three Pokemon continued walking towards the dining hall where the ministers were waiting. "I mean, could any of us have predicted all this? Any of this?" Lord Kachu looked at Baron Kat. "It's good to see that a few things haven't…"

Lord Kachu never finished the sentence. They had entered the dining hall, opening the door to an unexpected sight.

The orchestral piece from the phonograph had been replaced by a fast dance beat from a portable boombox. Being forced to dance by embers flung at his feet was Ash, wearing a ridiculous jester's cap with bells. The minister of excavation was firing the small bits of fire at the hapless human with sheer mirth. One of them hit him right in the foot.

"Hah! That's what you get for slowing down, servant! Dance! Faster human! Do as I say! Hahahaaa!"

The ministers who weren't chuckling had turned their heads away from the humiliating scene. The minister of engineering turned white when he saw Lord Kachu and the King. Baron Kat was about to laugh when he saw Pikachu quiver with sheer anger, a tic appearing in his eye. "Uh oh…"

A well-aimed ember hit Ash in the shin and tears appeared in his eyes.

BOOOOOooOoOooOoOM!

A well-aimed thunderbolt from Lord Kachu reduced the boombox to a sputtering wreck of plastic. Monferno turned to see a very angry Lord glowering at him. The rest of the ministers held their scared breath in the dead silence. Ash stopped dancing and tried to catch his breath, nursing his burnt shin.

Lord Kachu quivered with rage for a second, then, doing his utmost to remain calm, he took a deep breath and spoke.

"Ash, you go to the infirmary. You're…excused from your duty for the night. Inform Max I want to see him. Go."

Ash obeyed, limping out of the room on a singed foot. Kachu approached the nervous Monferno and tapped him on the shoulder. "A word with you, Minister?"

The minister of excavation did not argue with the Lord in the presence of the King. The two Pokemon walked out of the room. At the door they encountered Max.

"Ah, perfect. You're assigned to Ash's…duties for the night. Begin by clearing up that mess, please. And turn the music back on."

"Yes sir." Max switched on the phonograph and began picking up the pieces of the boombox as Pikachu and Monferno walked out.

"I…I was just trying to teach him a lesson." Monferno attempted to explain as he and Lord Kachu strode through the halls of the mansion. Kachu walked beside him on one of the steppes, totally silent.

"I mean, really. He should've known better than to…You don't treat your humans like you should, you know that. They're spoiled, they don't know their role, their place…"

"You say that a lot…" Kachu finally growled."…but it seems you don't know your place, Minister."

"Huh?"

Lord Kachu whirled around and grabbed Monferno by the ears. Twisted them hard, the Pikachu brought the crying Monferno to his knees. Kachu's face was a mask of rage, reducing the minister of excavation to a cowering monkey.

"How dare you try to usurp my authority in MY OWN HOME!" Lord Kachu boomed. "Say what you will about how I treat…humans in my house. But they are MY servants. I command them, I punish them as I see fit, I am their master, not you! You do not have that authority here, minister or not! And furthermore, YOU - DO - NOT, TREAT THEM LIKE THAT!"

Monferno whimpered as Pikachu brought his furious face closer. "If this happens again, I'll have you removed of your position…and then some. Do you understand?"

The minister could only whine a quiet "Mm-hmm."

"What was that?" Lord Kachu started sparking his cheeks.

Monferno's eyes widened in horror. It was a legend among humans and Pokemon alike, Lord Kachu's electric power. Any creature knew of how the Pikachu had personally stopped the heartbeat of Nido the Great, despite his ground-type.

"YES I UNDERSTAND, LORD KACHU!" Monferno screamed in panic.

Somewhat satisfied, Lord Kachu released Monferno. The minister of excavation moaned in pain, rubbing his twisted ears. Lord Kachu walked back to the dining hall, with Monferno eventually following him.

Lord Kachu returned to his seat, beside King Mewtwo at the head of the table. "Now, where were we?"

The minister of excavation never said a word during the meeting.

Aside from the incident, the meeting went smoothly. The king approved of Electabuzz's proposal, and the minister of Engineering prepared to make the necessary arrangements. The minister of excavation just nodded.

Baron Kat saw them to the door with a wave and his signature smile. "See youse next year, let's hope! Say hello to the kids fer me! Ciao!" The ministers waved back as they boarded the transport that would take them to their own mansions. The king simply flew off to his home, the isolated New Island, where he could think.

Baron Kat walked back into the halls of the mansion where the Lord Kachu lived. He would join his own transport soon, but he felt that he should speak to Kachu first. He had asked for a minute alone once the meeting had ended, and he hadn't come back to see the ministers off.

Meowth saw the robes discarded in front of the portrait of Pikachu and the humans, and he knew exactly where he had gone.

The library of Lord Kachu's mansion was filled with books, most of which hadn't been read. Birch bookcases boasted classics written by Pokemon in the last few years, real classics from the human era, history lessons, and record books.

One of the books had the title 'Ashes to ashes: the tale of a champion.' No one had read it, or written it. Meowth touched it and pulled it out as far as it would go.

With a click, a bookshelf moved and revealed a hidden room, known only to the Baron, the Lord and likely the King. Meowth walked in, being sure to close the bookshelf after him.

The room had no masterpieces of art. The walls were covered in photographs of Kachu and the humans now living and working in the mansion. One of the walls had nothing but badges, ribbons and symbols on it, each one lovingly preserved. Charred remnants of three bikes had been placed in a glass case as mementos. A Pokeball, one of the few that hadn't been destroyed, sat on a red cushion in another small case. Newspaper cutouts describing past adventures were scattered around the room.

A large glass case held a clothing rack, where a red-and-white cap sat over a t-shirt, a blue jacket, fingerless gloves and a pair of jeans. Kneeling in front of it was Lord Kachu, stripped of his robes and looking like the wild Pikachu he had been in the beginning. Just like the Pikachu in all the pictures, sitting happily on Ash's shoulders.

"Like a lifetime ago…" Pikachu spoke airily, disproving Meowth's assumption that he had been unnoticed. The baron remained quiet.

Pikachu's eyes wandered around the memories placed around the room. Ash's first tournament battle with Pikachu. The tablet describing Ash as the chosen one. Bianca or Latias' picture of them both…"Do you remember how he was before…before all this?"

Meowth sensed he wasn't really being asked, but answered anyway. "Ow could I forget?"

"He was so brave…proud…strong…nobody told him what to do. Nobody…" A news still of Ash chasing after Entei. The denied request to become a Frontier Brain. The certificate from the Orange Islands.

Meowth had to be blunt. "Dose days are over, you know dat…"

Pikachu had tears in his eyes now. "I know, I know but…" Ash in his hero's costume. A recording of the radio drama he had appeared in. "…suh-seeing him…humiliated like that…I couldn't…" A picture of Ash with his now-deceased mother. "It was all I could do to keep from snapping that muh-ministers neck."

Pikachu got up and started teetering. Meowth approached his friend slowly. "Buddy…"

Ash in his pajamas, holding Pikachu for the first time in Professor Oak's lab.

The dam burst. Lord Kachu sobbed hysterically into Baron Kat's chest. Meowth didn't say anything, doing his best to comfort his friend. The eyes of the past watched the two in the room of bittersweet memories.

Kachu got his breath back. "We…we should've done something…"

"What could we have done?" Meowth was starting to cry now.

"We should've done SOMETHING! When it was starting! Maybe we could've…"

"Buddy…"

"He tried to do something it was just too late and we had to…too late…" May blowing out Max's birthday candles. Brock with his huge family. Dawn holding her contest champion trophy. Jessie and James' mug shots. "…now all we can do is hire them as servants so they have a roof over their heads and not go to the muh-mines…" Pikachu began crying again.

Lord Kachu cried until he fell asleep, and Baron Kat carried his friend out of the room. Luckily he ran into Ash just outside the library. His foot had been bandaged.

"Get Pikachu to his room, 'K?"

"Yes sir." Ash picked up Lord Kachu and carried his sleeping master to his bedroom. Pikachu smiled a little, reliving one of his favourite memories in a dream. Meowth shook his head sadly before walking out to his transport.

"Home, baron?" his chauffeur asked.

"Yeah, James. Home."

Meowth sagged in his leather seat as the transport began moving. Without noticing, he turned on the TV screen. What he saw was an image of himself, Lord Kachu and King Mewtwo in the pose they had used for the statues.

"…and these three have led us out of a bloody civil war and years of unrest, into a shining new era of hope for Pokemon and humans alike. The future truly is bright."

"I hope yer right." Meowth challenged the narrator as he shut the TV off. "Cuz if you ain't, we'll never forgive ourselves."


	3. History

King Mewtwo tried to avoid reading his friends minds without their knowledge. But before he left Lord Kachu's manor, he couldn't help but pick up Pikachu's sad, angry and resigning thoughts regarding the past and Ash's…humiliation that night.

Mewtwo dwelled on it all as he flew over cities where Pokemon lived in luxury high-rises and humans were lucky to get more than a two-room dwelling. Two night-watchmen, a human and a Flygon, saw him go by. The Flygon cuffed the man on the ear for not saluting his king. Another statue of Mewtwo was in the town square, where a young woman was cleaning it up under the watchful eye of a Smeargle. Her taskmaster was pleased that she remembered to salute her king.

Mewtwo left the city and flew over cultivated lands. One of the fields had a Tauros forcing a young lad to keep a plow moving despite the late hour. The boy struggled with the plow as the Tauros whipped at him with his tail. Suddenly, the bull changed his mind and told the human to go back to his sleeping quarters. The boy was happy to obey. King Mewtwo of course, had nothing to do with that. Mentally noting that farmer for investigation, Mewtwo headed out towards the sea.

The docks were dead of activity, Pokemon and humans alike having bedded down for the night. Most of them, anyway. A ruckus from a cruise liner told the king and anyone within earshot that one of the captains decided to have a party that night. A woman tried to sleep on her hammock on another ship, covering her ears to block out the reveling of the Squirtles, Piplups, Ludicolos and Politoads aboard the party boat.

Mewtwo kept flying, further and further out until he reached his home, New Island. He had completely reconstructed his palace, the one he had built the first time he had intended to be ruler of the world. The windmills turned in the wind as he flew in, placing himself in the building. A spiral staircase led up to a private room. He had no servants here – he came here when he needed to be alone.

The meditation room was devoid of anything except for a seat and windows looking out at the infinite sea. King Mewtwo shed his kingly armor and sat down to think.

_It was here,_ He remembered. _When the boy – Ash – tried to convince me to abandon my first plan of conquest, back when I was a bitter experiment seeking revenge on a world that did me no harm. He stepped between me and Mew that day…absorbing our blasts, almost dying in the process._

We met again in Johto, when Giovanni had tracked me down. He risked his life to save someone he didn't even remember. I wish that had been our last meeting, instead of what came after…

I remember that day vividly. It was in a prison cell, dark, cold, only having light from a single barred window. His hands were bound in energy cuffs, his face marred with dirt and scratches from a fight. I was sitting across from him, 'speaking' to him.

I told him I had two options. He could be executed for attempting to start a revolution, as Nido the Great had wanted. Or I could make him more…accepting of this 'new era', as they called it, and put him in the care of his best friend.

He asked if there was a third option, and I told him the truth.

He screamed at me. Called me a liar, traitor, hypocrite, ingrate, monster, tyrant, freak, coward…and more. I let him rant… I wondered if I deserved those titles…but when he stopped to catch his breath, I looked him straight in the eye and told him something I have never told anyone since.

"This was not me."

It would be difficult to pinpoint where the great change originated. The revolution? The battles? Or even sooner, when Poke balls were invented and the creatures were used for entertainment, or when they became less like partners and more like tools…not that the accusing finger could be pointed solely at humans. But most agree that the revolution began with Nido the Great.

A Nidorino under a particularly cruel trainer, he came to believe…as I had once…that humans were irredeemable creatures, treating Pokemon as slaves for their own glory and amusement. That despite all their power, Pokemon would be unjustly subservient to their 'trainers'…unless someone did something.

So he resolved to do something. Abandoning his trainer, he evolved himself into Nidoking, took the name Nido the Great and began a movement.

It was underground, well hidden and well organized. He reached out to Pokemon around the world, himself or one of his followers. He had a small group at first, but by spreading out his gospel of revolution to the four corners of the earth, he soon had an overwhelming army.

He spoke that the time had come to destroy the status quo once and for all. He spoke that Pokemon had once been rightfully worshipped as gods by the humans. He spoke of how our power made us rightfully superior. He spoke of how humans would degrade us more and more unless something changed.

He spoke of how Pokemon could change everything forever, forge a new era where we were in our rightful place.

He was clever. Charismatic. A powerful speaker. He convinced Pokemon under cruel trainers to join his cause, wild ones who had lost friends and family to the trainers, those who had felt abandoned…even the legendaries themselves were convinced. He soon had a legion at his command, training them in secret.

I knew nothing of this, I'm ashamed to say. I was always…detached from human and Pokemon affairs. Pokemon who were not involved in the matter, including Meowth and Pikachu, knew nothing either.

Then, on a day forever etched in memory, they struck.

The Pokeball business was struck first. Explosions tore apart the factories, and well-coordinated attacks by both the common Pokemon and the legendaries destroyed the shipping firms and warehouses. Stops were burnt down to the ground, and Pokemon Centers were taken over, usable only by those loyal to Nido's cause.

Then the army targeted the cities themselves. Pokemon who had known nothing of Nido before began to join the revolution, rebelling against their trainers. Faced with an army of creatures wielding the very elements against them, many humans surrendered before the first city – Viridian – was conquered.

A quick-thinking Kirlia who would become the minister of service established relief camps for the humans who surrendered. Men, women and children were shuttled into these camps, which were thought to be temporary relief. They sadly became the safest places in the world for the humans.

All involved had hoped that the revolution would be as quick and bloodless as possible.

It wasn't.

For every human that surrendered peacefully, it seemed there were six more who wouldn't give up their status as masters. Many of them still had Pokemon – 'Loyalists', Nido called them with disgust – who still served their masters. They resolved to fight to the bitter end. A long, bloody war ensued.

But against Nido's immense army – and the very gods themselves – the humans stood no chance. The cities and countries fell, in rapid succession, to Nido the Great. All humans who did not surrender were killed, as well as all Pokemon who didn't join Nido's cause. The battles escalated. The relief camps became almost as crowded as the gravegrounds, where corpses were placed because there was no time for burials. With the legendaries themselves fighting, the very fabric of the world was stretched to its breaking point. Storms tore the sky apart, the earth became brittle, the seas boiled.

Pikachu and Meowth had been among the ones still loyal to their humans, even as their teammates left to join Nido's revolution. They did their utmost to keep their friends away from the war. But Ash would not run forever…and it became clear there were fewer and fewer places to run to.

With the war becoming worse every day, Pikachu and Meowth became desperate for their trainer's safety. When word reached that the army was approaching them, the two Pokemon did something they have never been able to fully forgive themselves for.

Placing drops of a powerful sleeping powder into their trainer's food, they knocked out their humans and had them smuggled into the relief camps, where they would avoid the notice of Nido's conquerors. It was a risky move to save the children's lives – and they were certainly not the first or last to do it – but they felt they had betrayed their friends. For the rest of the revolution they worked hard to help the human's evade Nido's wrath, but could not bring themselves to face their own.

Nido wanted nothing less than the total subjugation of the human race. As he became closer to accomplishing his goal, he became more and more violent, frightening even his most staunch supporters. His tactics became more ruthless, burning civilian homes and threatening to destroy the relief camps, convinced they were being run by 'loyalists'. At first, the deaths could be excused (as far as the revolutionaries were concerned) as collateral damage…it WAS a revolution. But as things progressed, even his closest followers sensed that he was becoming unhinged.

Two incidents settled the matter. The first one was when Nido had his trainer brought before him…or who he thought was his trainer. Whatever the case, he drilled right through the heart of the man. Laughing over the dead human with blood all over him…and then when the last bastion of human resistance offered a conditional surrender. Nido charged it, killing or capturing the remainder of the humans. Then, he began to make plans to burn out the 'loyalists'. The Pokemon had conquered the world, but if Nido had his way, the revolution would continue until the world shattered under the strain.

Nido had only known of the cruelty of humans, and twisted him into what he was. He knew nothing of kindness, or the bond between a good trainer and his beloved Pokemon. And even as the Pokemon celebrated their victory and their risen status…none, not even Nido's earliest followers, could forget that bond.

Cooler heads prevailed, and it was decided that the king of this 'New Era' should not be Nido. It had to be someone capable of working peacefully. The world could not stand more fighting. Neither could the fighters. They needed a new leader.

They chose me.

I was…unsure, to say the least. Unsure about taking this role after my original campaign…especially when there was so much at stake. But it is impossible to block out the voices of a world, so I accepted.

I asked who recommended me. A Pikachu and Meowth I knew very well stepped forward. I learned they had worked long and hard for the humans who had survived. I knew I would need their counsel, so my first act as king was to appoint them my advisors. Lord Kachu and Baron Kat.

My second act was to…inform Nido that the fight was over. He was…angry, but spoke not. Too many of his supporters prevented me from making him anything less than another 'advisor', but under heavy watch.

Before I made any more acts, my two advisors showed me the wreckage of the revolution. Pathways torn apart. Buildings burnt to ashes. Forests razed. Seas poisoned. Skies ablaze.

And dead everywhere.

Perhaps it was time for a change. Perhaps it was just, the Pokemon rising against the humans. Perhaps we were truly meant to reign over them.

But that did not change what had happened in the bloody revolution.

So on New Island, the place where we had first met, the three of us - Myself, Kachu and Kat - made a pact.

There could be no going back.

But there would be no more bloodshed.

It was strange, using diplomacy. But with the good counsel of Kachu and Kat, things began to improve. New laws were passed and the new era was established peacefully. A council was made, with me, my advisors, and the legendaries. Factories developing technologies to aid in the earth's recovery were established. The Pokeballs were destroyed, to satisfy the revolutionaries. Farms, quarries, hospitals, all made to begin reconstruction. Pokemon ruled over the humans now, and all was well for a time.

Then Nido informed the council that a rebel leader and his followers had been attempting to begin another revolution. The world was still recovering; we could not have another bloody battle. Nido recommended that we execute them as an example to those who would oppose our rule.

But something in the leaders messages struck me as being…troublingly familiar…so I requested that they be brought before us first.

They were.

Led into the courtroom were the children who had done so much for the world. Misty. May. Brock. Max. Even Jessie and James. The leader came in last…Ash, the chosen one, bound like a common prisoner. Lord Kachu could not take his stunned eyes off him. This was the first time they seen each other in months. The gods themselves gasped.

They were in the room less than a minute before I ordered them out of our sight.

The children who had saved the world were now criminals under our new era. My head reeled so fast I clutched it to keep it from flying off. The gods were paralyzed. Lord Kachu wept into his former adversary's chest like someone who just saw a friend die.

When Nido bayed for their blood, he sealed his fate.

Without warning Kachu leapt at him, eyes blazing with sheer fury. Grabbing the Nidoking's tongue, he electrocuted the revolutionary that turned everything upside down. Right then and there.

Lord Kachu could never look at himself again…there are no mirrors in his mansion. Not for what he did to the bloodthirsty Nido, but for being the first to break our pact.

We all saw it then. Our 'new era' was no less oppressive than the human's had been…if it wasn't even more so. We all wanted to do…something then. Unchange everything. But it was too late. Far too late. The world had changed forever. The earth was at its breaking point…even the fabric of time and space had been strained beyond belief. A revolution, a terrible bloodshed, had happened. A peace had been established…the world was just recovering. We could not have another revolution. There was no going back. Not now.

He would never give up…that was his strength and his weakness. It had saved the world in the past. But now…that stubbornness could spell its doom. Another revolution…and that was what he wanted…could destroy everything. He had to be dealt with.

When I finished telling him, he called us 'quitters', but stopped screaming.

He understood. There could be no going back, not now. Everything had changed. Perhaps things could truly be balanced one day…but not now. Not with another revolution.

He thought I would kill him, but in truth his fate had been decided. All he had done – and the pact we made – decreed that the boy lived. So I told him tomorrow he would be placed in his friend's care.

I could've…changed him and the others at that moment. But Kachu had a request I couldn't refuse.

The next morning, Kachu came in to see Ash…in a way, for the last time. He had shed his robes, and looked like the Pikachu Ash had trained and befriended long ago.

The boy wouldn't look at him at first. 'So,' he had muttered, 'I won't be your friend anymore will I? Just your servant. I bet you're gonna love it…"

Kachu zapped him and made Ash look him in the eye. He hadn't been given the lessons to learn to speak yet. But he didn't need to. Ash could almost hear him.

'Ash, look at me! I don't want this. I didn't ask for all this. Any of this. But this is bigger than me…you…even Mewtwo and the legendaries. Please understand. You will always be my friend. But this has to be. The world can't stand another war, not now…please. Don't leave hating me.'

He didn't. They were still embracing with tears in their eyes when I told them it was time.

It was the hardest thing I had to do. If anyone asked, I would say that executing him would make him a martyr. But seeing that proud boy reduced to an obedient servant was almost too much for all involved.

Mewtwo opened his eyes and stared out at the sky. _Did I do the right thing? Have ANY of the things I've done been right? Will the things I will do be right?_ He was disturbed by these thoughts, and then reminded himself. _A true tyrant is always sure of himself._

He believed a better world was still possible. But it could not be achieved through bloodshed or mindgames. It had to be through hope, faith, understanding. That was what he had to spread now. He could not force attitudes to change; they would have to change on their own. But a truly balanced world was still possible.

That was why he hadn't completely erased all that was Ash Ketchum. He merely put it to sleep and locked it away, ready to return when it was time. When the world was ready accept another new era.

That hopeful thought made him smile as he saw the sunrise peeking through the clouds, announcing a new day.


	4. Lord Kachu

"How…how many drops will it take?" The small hooded figure asked nervously.

"Just empty the bottle into your…human's food. You said one of them makes soup, so even if the pot is huge and everyone only has a sip, it should work." The Bellossom explained, not for the first time.

"But…but won't there be an overdose or something if I…"

"There WON'T be an overdose. We've tested it, several times. Besides, we need them to be good and asleep for at LEAST half an hour to get them into the camps. More is better."

"The camps…" the disguised Pokemon whimpered. "How'd it come to this...you …you're sure that your friends will be there in time?"

"Yes, yes! As I've said, we've done this before. It'll go fine." The Bellossom truly sympathized with her client, but she was losing patience. "As long as we can have them before nightfall, we can smuggle all your friends into the safecamps. Can you make sure of that?"

"Yeah…yeah…they're having soup tonight, I know it, I can put it in without them noticing and…and…and…he'd never surrender, never give up, he'll hate me for this…" The hooded creature was almost in tears.

The Bellossom took a deep breath. "I know how you feel. I do. But you know as well as I that they won't survive Nido's army, and the revolutionaries will be here tomorrow! This is only for their safety." She tried to put a comforting hand on her clients shaking shoulder. "They'll be safe in the relief camps, Nido won't bother to target humans there. You're not the first to do something like this, and you won't be the last. This is for the be –"

"DON'T…don't try to make me feel better!" The Pikachu snapped, his hood coming off to reveal tear-filled eyes and a hopeless expression. "I'm stabbing my best friends in the back to keep them alive. All because of this…this damned revolution! Just…just gimme the bottle. Please."

Lord Kachu awoke in his transport and shook his head clear. He had gotten lost in reminiscing again. He nearly forgot what he was going to do. The king's second-in-command was riding to one of the human schools to give a speech to the children. The Pikachu glanced out the window. What he saw in the sky didn't make him feel better.

The Pikachu looked down at his paws and saw that he was clutching an empty bottle. The bottle he had bought from the Bellossom long ago. He had never got rid of it.

"Lord Kachu? We've arrived." the driver snapped Kachu out of his melancholy reminiscing.

"I see. Thank you, Brock. I'll be out in a moment." Lord Kachu made a point of replacing the bottle in the pocket of his robes, where no-one could see it. Then he straightened his crown-like headdress and opened the doors, exiting the transport.

All the children were buzzing excitedly. Lord Kachu himself, the king's right hand, coming to their school! Everyone was chattering eagerly in the stands. A Gardevoir paced the crowd, watching for any delinquents in her class or anyone who was carrying a projectile. There wasn't any.

A Loudred boomed for silence. Lord Kachu had arrived. The children immediately silenced, and stood up in unison out of respect as Lord Kachu approached the podium. A few gulped and shivered.

_It feels so ridiculous_ Kachu thought to himself. _They're only children, and I'm a fraction of their size, and they regard me like a god. _But he stayed silent himself until he was on the podium. A somber but kind look was on his face, and he motioned for the children to sit down. They all obeyed.

After a small pause, Kachu motioned to a small child with dark hair. "Young man, can you look over there for a moment?"

The child was shocked to be called on by Lord Kachu, but quickly obeyed, darting his eyes to where Kachu had pointed.

"Can you tell me what you see?"

"Um…the sk-sky?"

"What's in the sky?"

The child narrowed his eyes and saw what Kachu meant. "There's a…red cloud or something, red and black and red. A big whirlpool in the sky."

"Thank you." The child breathed a whoop of relief for not having the wrong answer.

Kachu began his speech in earnest. "That 'whirlpool in the sky' appeared several years ago, during the revolution. I hope you've all heard of it." Every small head in the crowd nodded. "Good. Now, that whirlpool is something of a black hole, a rip in the fabric of nature. It appears whenever…an element, space or time is overused on this world. By element, I mean fire, water, electricity and the like."

Kachu continued. "During the revolution, many Pokemon used their powers to fight. Many were…incredibly powerful. You know how Pokemon attacks work. Surf summons up a wave, sandstorm is…self explanatory, Night Shade calls on the power of night, etc. Normally, a normal Pokemon using these capabilities would not create a void like that.

However, during the wars, Pokemon that had the powers of gods fought as well. Dialga. Groudon. Lugia. Their attacks called on the forces holding our world together. Time, space, weather, and much more. So, that void appeared as they used their attacks more and more in the fight.

As the elements become more strained, the void grew. I remember when there was a time you could look up anywhere in the world and see it. As the war continued, it grew bigger and bigger, threatening this very planet.

Thankfully, before it reached a peak where the world would've been destroyed, the fighting stopped. We all had our eyes opened, and saw how close we were to utter destruction. That was when we moved to work for peace. No more conflict, at all. At any cost…" Kachu sighed sadly before composing himself again.

"That was the years of reconstruction. When the New Era began, and we started to rebuild the world peacefully. We refrained from using our powers for battle again. And as you can see, the void has shrunk.

But it is no time to be complacent, or slacking. It may be smaller, but it's also more…condensed, for lack of a better word. It is still very dangerous. If another battle, even a fraction of the size of the great revolution occurred, the rip can regain its power, and destroy everything we have worked so hard to rebuild."

Every face in the audience was white. They all knew he was telling the truth.

"That is why peace MUST be upheld. There is too much at stake for another war. This world will not be able to handle the stress of another revolution.

People talk about how this 'new era' has to end because of 'the natural order of things' and the 'true place' of humanity and Pokemon. They claim that things must change again, so that their children can live in a place where they are the rulers again. I cannot comprehend their arguments. It is clear to everyone that if our children are to have a world AT ALL, we cannot have another war. We cannot risk destroying everything for the sake of petty superiority.

I know not what each of you think of this era, or what your parents believe. But understand this. I have SEEN what war can do to this world. I saw this planet and all its inhabitants come horribly close to extinction. And I will do everything in my power, as you all should, to see that it never happens again."

The speech had gone on for longer, but everything that came after was routine for Lord Kachu. After being profusely thanked by the headmaster of this school for honoring them with his presence, Lord Kachu boarded his transport back to his mansion.

He glanced back at the void. That damned rip that seemed to taunt that there would be no hope for change. No chance of bringing the world back to normal.

Soon, his paws found themselves around the empty bottle again. He stared down at it.

Why was he so guilty? He had saved Ash's life, and the lives of all his friends. And now he was the second-most powerful creature in the world, just below King Mewtwo. The king had said it himself; he could not have chosen a better aide. Everyone else agreed…Lord Kachu's advice and policies were instrumental in rebuilding this world after the ravages of the revolution. All the experts said that if it weren't for him, there might have been more destruction at the hands of the insane Nido the Great.

The empty bottle always reminded him.

Ash wanted to fight…or simply not give up. He would never surrender. But Nido's army would have killed him…or worse…they had panicked, Pikachu and Meowth. So they made an arrangement with the humanitarian smugglers. Sneaking drops of a powerful sedative into their food, they were able to sneak the children into the relief camps, where the conquered humans were placed, and Nido wouldn't look.

Ash had given him everything and done everything for him, and what did Pikachu do in return? He betrayed him. With the contents of that bottle.

And now, here he was, a respected Lord, with lavish trappings and honor thrown upon him like confetti. Was this the reward for traitors? Is this what he deserved? He had only been trying not to think about his betrayal, immersing himself in aiding the humans. Mewtwo had made him an aide because of that…because he cared for the humans and Pokemon alike. Lord Kachu, the new era's architect. And he did his duty better than anyone else could have.

And then…that horrible day, when Nido – Nido the Great, Nido the revolutionary, Nido the self-righteous bloodthirsty monster - brought Ash and his friends in as criminals, for trying to start a rebellion. It was the first time they had seen each other in months. And he…when Nido petitioned to execute them, 'Kachu' lost it. Killed that damned revolutionary right then and there in the courtroom.

Ash would still fight, and the world could not afford another fight. They had to take measures…execution, banishment or…or…

It was decided to change his mind…literally. So they wouldn't have to kill the child who had saved the world so many times. There was no other way. Kachu was to take charge of Ash and his friends, so they wouldn't risk being banished to the horrible mines.

Ash and Pikachu had met before the change. They…made peace. Said goodbye.

Now he was a butler in Kachu's mansion. The mansion that was expanded so they could have a lot of servants, and therefore keep all of his friends close. Kachu didn't know if they had been changed or…simply gave up.

They were safe. Alive. And the world was being rebuilt, thanks to his help. There was hope for the future.

But Kachu felt he could never redeem himself. Not until that void was gone from the sky for good.

And when that day came…


	5. Dream Shop

"EM! HURRY UP WITH THAT FOOD!"

That was something Em had heard every day since the Pokemon Revolution had ended. It seemed as if it had been every day of her life…but the girl couldn't waste any time with reminiscing. The young cook quickly added the last ingredient to the stew and stirred rapidly, waiting for the telltale signs of readiness. She hoped they would show before the head chef bellowed again. That Wartortle had a good yell.

"Em, c'mon! Baroness Gorax isn't the patient type." The head chef stuck his blue head through the door, speaking in a somewhat more reasonable tone. "I'm not gonna lose my best customer because you couldn't…"

"It's ready, sir!" Grabbing a pair of oven mitts, she grabbed the side of the huge pot. It was a large load that would normally be considered too heavy for a girl her size to carry. But with a little effort, Em quickly waddled out of the kitchen and into the dining hall.

The dining hall at the Sinnoh Gourmand Emporium was a simple, lowbrow place compared to a lot of other Pokemon restaurants, but it was still the most luxurious place Em had ever seen. Each of the Pokemon customers had their own reclining chair and large table. The walls were a deep red color for hiding stains, and had multiple black and white pictures of food. They had originally been colored paintings, but one of the customers was kept waiting for so long he took a bite of the artwork. That was the incident that got the last cook expelled, and the rumors that circulated about what happened next…

She didn't have time to finish her thought before the pot was snatched out of her hands. Baroness Gorax lifted the pot to his mouth and the contents spilled into her mouth, droplets of stew dribbling down the Snorlax's mouth. The Pokemon placed the pot down, belched loudly and chuckled. She turned towards the head chef, smiling. "Delicious! You've done it again."

Wartortle smiled a practiced smile and gave a practiced reply. "Only the best for my customers, Baroness."

Em, the person who had actually cooked the stew, was completely ignored. In another time and place, she might have been offended. But she was quite used to this, having worked in kitchens ever since the New Era had begun. Ever since she was a little girl.

Besides, she didn't have time to be offended. Another order rang in, and the girl hurriedly grabbed the stew pot and bolted back into the kitchen to finish the Minister of Agriculture's salad, serve up Duchess Delcatty's entrée, and get started on whatever the Earl of something wanted for dinner.

At the end of the day, a very harried Em said goodbye to her fellow cooks, who all walked off to their respective human dwellings. Not all of them were looking forward to returning to their homes. Em herself was in no hurry to get back to her condominium. In fact, she was keen on visiting somewhere else tonight. She locked up the kitchens and walked towards the back of the emporium.

The Head Chef was taking a swig with a few of his buddies inside the emporium's VIP room. Very Important Pokemon. No humans allowed. Recognizing that, Em stood by the doorway and rapped the wall beside her, being careful not to set her foot in the room.

At first, she wasn't heard or noticed. "So what'd this place used to be again?" a Noctowl asked aloud.

"Contest hall. You know, where we'd dance and sing and the itrainers/i got all the credit if we was good and we'd get the blame if we got nervous and screwed up." A Hitmontop answered bitterly, spitting out the word human like a rancid piece of meat.

"I dinnit know." A Spinda slurred. "I dinnit never thee a contetht. Not never, ever. Jutht battleth. Were they like battleth?" The Spinda had had too much to drink; Em could smell the fermented berries from where she was standing.

"Eh, might as well have been. I got stuck doing this triple-double kick combo, well doing ain't the right word, I couldn't do it an' my itrainer/i always took it out on me, whammo. I ain't sorry he's gone."

"What happened to him?"

"Who cares? All I know, first time Nido's recruiters came 'round, I said sure thing, I'm in, tell me who t' kick in the face, long live the revolution!"

Em cringed at the mention of the Nido and the war. It had begun when she was a little girl, she remembered all too well.

Hitmontop continued boasting. "Ya know, I once split a ihuman's/i…"

"Let's not talk about the war over drinks, boys." Wartortle interjected.

"He'th right, y'know, he'th right. Dinnit wanna talk about the war neither. Y'know, it wath Kachu who…y'know." Spinda let out a loud hiccup.

Just then Noctowl noticed the girl in the doorway. "Should she be here?"

Em found all the eyes of the drinking party fixed on her. Wartortle rapped himself on the head for forgetting something. Hitmontop glared ferociously at the human girl, bolting out of his seat.

"No, she shouldn't! No ihuman/i should be in here, I'll triple-double-kick her out like a…!"

"Hey!" Wartortle stopped his drunken friend. "She's one of mine. I forgot to give her the day's pay. It'll just take a second. You don't hurt one of my humans, bucko."

"Bethides, she innit in. Thee, her feet dinnit crothh the door. I can thee that, you can thee that, we can thee that, th-he can thee that." Another hiccup.

Hitmontop grudgingly sat back down, still glaring at the human. Wartortle calmly walked over to Em and took out a bundle of cash from his briefcase. "Here you go."

It really wasn't much by anyone's standards, but for Em it was enough. Especially tonight. Em nodded and smiled politely at her boss.

"We shouldn't be payin' 'em, did they pay us, no no no, they don't deserve to get paid…" Hitmontop sullenly muttered.

"Shut up." Wartortle silenced him.

"Yeah. Thhut up."

Wartortle turned back towards the girl. "You're not always this vigilant about pay, Em. I used to pay you the day after, and you didn't mind. What's the occasion?"

"It's a special night." Em thanked her boss and walked away, leaving the Wartortle to return to his drinking buddies.

"Where do humanth go anywayth, with their pay?"

"Who cares, the dump for all I care, or maybe one of those stupid memorials, why'd they let them build it?"

"Let's talk about something else, boys."

Wrapping her coat around her for warm, Em trudged through the back alley purposefully. Before she had set out, she had recounted the money she had saved up to that day. It was enough for tonight. Walking past the posters of Kachu, Kat and Mewtwo, the girl headed for a darkened door in a distant wall. She had been given the location and password for this place months ago by a coworker. Em had initially scoffed at the coworker, but now here she was.

Looking around for a brief second to make sure nobody was watching her, Em rapped on the door at the end of the alley. A slide opened and two eyes glared at her. "Password?"

Em recited the password in a practiced tone. "One cannot survive by dreams, but one cannot live without dreams."

That seemed to satisfy the eyes. The shutter clicked shut and the door grudgingly clicked open. Em slipped through the doorway as quietly as she could. A Hitmonchan doorPokemon swiftly slammed the entrance shut behind her. "First time?" it asked in a gruff voice.

"Y-yes." Em answered.

One of the Hitmonchan's fists pointed in a specific direction. "Desk's that way. Should see the prices and the rules somewhere. Read the rules. Don't cause any trouble. You'll never be back in again, I never forget a face. Capishe?"

"Capishe." Em answered. The doorPokemon gave something resembling a smile and then turned it's attention back to the door, waiting for the next visitor. A book custom-made for it's hands was brought out, and then it was like Em wasn't there anymore.

Em realized it had other things to do than talk to her, so she promptly walked away in the direction Hitmonchan had pointed her.

Em gazed at her new surroundings in bewildered awe. From outside, the building looked that a nondescript warehouse. Inside was a different story. Em walked down the carpeted hallway, listening to the noises of this place's customers. She quickly found out she could see the customers, through the one-way mirrors on each side of the halls. The girl guessed the management installed them to make sure customers got their money's worth.

At first glance, the human customers seemed to be doing nothing but talking to themselves in spartan rooms, with a Pokémon watching them with amusement. But Em could tell what the people were dreaming from what they were saying.

One man was imagining he was the manager of a successful business empire, and the Hypno that was with him was making that dream a 'reality'. A Mismagius in another room was helping a woman emulate her fantasy of being in a fairy tale. A lad was giving the beatdown on a bully with the aid of a Noctowl's hypnosis. And most interesting of all, a larger room showed two girls facing each other in a curious combat. Em figured they were dreaming of having a Pokémon Battle, something she had only heard about.

That was what this place was…a dream shop. For a price, a Pokémon with hypnosis or illusion capabilities would help you experience any dream you desired. Being rich and successful, being inside your ultimate fantasy, reliving a favorite memory or indulging in the illegal practice of Pokémon battles and contests…all of that could be done here if you had the money. Em fingered the inside of her pocket to check. She should have enough money.

At the end of the hall was a desk, and sitting at the desk was a Ludicolo on the phone. Em would've expected a line, but there was no person near the desk at the moment. That was fine with her.

The Ludicolo chattered on the phone line, not realizing she was there. "Look matey, I know how you feel about battle-dreams, but they're our biggest seller. All these humans want to be trainers again, even if just fer a night. Yeah, I know. Will you stop whining? It's good money. Sometimes I even lose count of a night's take. Would ya rather have 'em act out these fantasies on the street, with real Pokeballs? Yeah, ya heard me, there's still some floating around. Personally, I'd rather…" Just then, the Ludicolo noticed Em standing by his desk. "Just a sec, I got a customer."

The phone went click, and the Ludicolo put on his biggest smile for Em. "Welcome! First time, eh?"

Em gulped. "Uh…yes." She deposited the money she had been saving for a month onto the desk. "This isn't much, but I only need a minute long one."

The Ludicolo's smile broadened. "Alrighty then. Here's the rules. Number 1) what happens here stays here. Number 2) nothing…physical, if you know what I mean. Number 3) the dream ends when it ends. Got all that?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." The Ludicolo turned to some sort of roster. "Now, all the hypnotists have clients tonight, it's pretty busy now. You'll have to make do with an illusionist, so be specific with what you want. Got it?"

"Yes, sir." Em had prepared for that. All the stuff she needed was in her backpack.

Ludicolo pressed a button on the pager on his desk. "Ok, you're in room 116. Your dream aide's name is Illustius. Now, if you'll excuse me, I got a call." The phone was back in Ludicolo's hand in the blink of an eye. Then the Pokemon remembered something. He grabbed half of the bills and winked at Em. "Keep the rest. First-timers get a discount. Just remember you ain't a first-timer after tonight."

"I got it. Thank you." Em took back her money and walked away. The Ludicolo resumed his conversation, arguing about the ethics of battle-dreams with whatever malcontent was on the phone.

iRoom 113…114…115…116./i Em arrived at the door the Ludicolo had told her about. Taking another deep breath to compose herself, the girl stepped into the room where her dream aide was waiting.

Illustius was a Zoroark, a tall female who was impatiently drumming her claws on the wall when Em walked in. The Zoroark sighed aloud on seeing the human walk in. "Finally, my last customer."

Em shrugged slightly, and set down her backpack. Illustius blinked at the girl rummaging through the sack. "What are you…?"

Em found what she was looking soon enough. Out of her backpack she produced a picture, a voice recording and a note. The girl promptly handed it over to a slightly bewildered Illustius. The Zoroark blinked and looked at all the stuff. Then she chuckled slightly. "Didn't think you could put it into words out loud, eh?"

Em shook her head. She had figured that she would get too emotional to be coherent if she described what she wanted out loud, so she made a note explaining what her dream was to be about. The girl gulped in anticipation.

Illustius looked over the note, and her smirk disappeared. She glanced at Em with eyes that were more sympathetic than the Pokemon would like to admit. Shaking her head clear, Illustius took a long look at the picture and listened to the recording carefully. Em waited as patiently as she could.

Eventually the dream aide looked at Em, motioning for her to turn around for a second. Em shivered in strange anticipation as she obeyed. The girl bit her fingernails for a second, trying to clear her mind so she could get the most of this.

"Em?"

It wasn't Illustius' voice anymore. Em whirled around to see a tall man standing beside a thin, beautiful woman. Both of them were smiling at her warmly. All three of them were standing in a large field filled with flowers of all colors.

"Mom! Dad!" Tears appeared in Em's eyes as she ran towards them. The girl wasted no time in embracing her long-lost parents. The parents she had not seen since the Pokemon Revolution, since she was a little girl.

Wrapping her arms around her mother, Em lost all of the composure she had spent years perfecting. "I…I missed you suh-suh-so mu-huhuhuch…I…I…"

She felt the warm arms of her mother enfold her. "Shhhh. It's alright."

Em still cried, overcome with emotion. Dream or not, she needed this, she had needed this for a long time. "I…I love you."

"We love you too. We always have, and we always will, Em."

For the first time in a very long time, Em smiled.

Anyone looking in through the one-way mirror would've seen a Zoroark hugging a crying girl, staring at the distance with melancholy eyes. Illustius let out a sad sigh, and patted the girl on the back reassuringly.

The human had only paid for a minute, but her dream aide was in no hurry to wake her up.


	6. Anniversary

Max was rummaging through the library, trying to find an interesting book to read. Lord Kachu's impressive collection was a little hard to sift through at times. There was very little recreational reading…at least, very little recreational reading for humans.

The servants of Lord Kachu had been given the day off today. Normally Max, Ash and the others would be bustling around the huge mansion doing small tasks like dusting, cleaning, cooking and acting like the proper subordinates Kachu's guests wanted them to be. As the king's right hand, the Pikachu often had to work with many diplomatic visitors, not to mention the paparazzi. And they all expected the workers, the neutralized counter-revolutionaries, to all act like good, obedient, unthreatening workers.

Today, however, was different. Kachu had closed the gates to his mansion and arranged things so that he had no visitors or press on the premises. This was the first time this had happened in the year or so the group had been in Kachu's employ. Max wasn't quite sure why it was today and not any other day of the year. It wasn't a national holiday…King Mewtwo had left to deal with some unrest in Unova, and Lord Kat was out of town with some of the Ministers.

The young man heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Although he wasn't frightened, he really hoped it wasn't Ash. Even after all this time, he could never feel comfortable seeing what had become of his friend.

Unfortunately, it was Ash.

Max turned and suppressed a shiver at the sight of his blank eyes, once filled with fire and determination. Now…there was almost nothing. It made Max very uneasy.

He tried to hide his discomfort and gave Ash a small wave. "Huh-hey Ash. What's up?"

Ash blinked. "The roof." He replied simply. It was impossible to tell if he was joking or if the reference was totally lost on the mindwiped boy.

Max gulped hard, trying to maintain his weak smile. "No, um, I mean what are you doing now that we've got a day off?"

"Oh. I don't know. I was just heading to the kitchen. It's almost 6:00."

"R-right. Of course." Just like every other time he had to look Ash in the eye, Max searched him for any trace of the trainer he once was. The slightest inkling of the bold, confident person he had traveled with. The merest hint of the passionate, good natured Pokemon Trainer who he agreed to battle one day. That day never came, and now it would never come…

There was nothing. Again. Max couldn't look at him for long, and turned back to the bookshelf, trying to hold back a tear.

Ash stepped towards Max. "Are you all right, Max? Do you need something?" he asked, a concerned undertone in his voice.

For a moment, Max caught himself hoping that was the real Ash somehow coming through…but he pushed that notion out of his head. King Mewtwo had been thourough. The servant was just being courteous to his fellows.

"No…no, I'm alright thanks." Max weakly gulped as he tried to focus on the books. "Y-you can go now. I'm not hungry."

Ash hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Very well. I will see you later, Max."

Max felt relieved to hear his footsteps finally leave. The young man tried to think about anything else, but the thought of that lobotomy patient he once called his best friend…

Of course he understood the king's reasons. Of course he knew that unless Ash was guaranteed not to start another rebellion, Nido's supporters would have his head on a plate. Of course he knew Kachu was trying to keep them together and keep them from getting killed or deported. It still didn't make any of this easier.

Max gave up trying to find a book to read. He needed to lie down. He needed to think about something else. Max began to slump back to his quarters, going through the long, elaborate hallways of Lord Kachu's mansion.

Rounding a corner, Max came across Lord Kachu himself. The young servant stopped in his tracks at the sight of his master and employer. The Pikachu was speaking into a small cell phone customized for his paws, and didn't notice the boy standing nearby. His face was a mixture of frustration and sorrow, and Max could tell he was struggling to keep his voice calm.

"Jairek, this is most…unfeasible. I can't arrange a celebration like the one you want in a day. It is simply not possible. Furthermore, this is not an occasion for such a celebration. Yes, I am well aware of today's significance. I know what happened 5 years ago today, Jairek. I isaw/i it. Do you know what happened that day? The day the – "

Lord Kachu suddenly caught sight of Max watching him, and stopped in his tracks. His eyes went wide and mouth went dry for a moment. However, he remembered that someone was on the phone. Taking a deep breath and walking into a nearby room, Kachu continued his conversation.

Max knew it was rude to eavesdrop, especially on his superior. But the conversation had made him curious. Anniversary of what? The boy crept a little closer so he could hear better.

Kachu was pacing inside a recreational VIP room, used whenever he had a casual visitor such as Baron Kat. There was a pool table, dart board, TV screen and mini-bar, customized for the Pokemon Lords. The servants weren't needed here…this was a good place for Kachu and guests to be alone. Max and the others had never set foot in there.

"I realize it's an important day for the revolutionaries. I know it signalled the great change. Anyone you ask has a story about that day. But do you know what happened, exactly?

I'll tell you. Hundreds of people and Pokemon alike killed. An entire way of life destroyed violenty. The beginning of a long, bloody war that took countless lives and nearly destroyed the world. We do not celebrate the start of the war, Jairek. We celebrate the end of the war, the dawn of the new era. The beginning of the new era. The beginning of peace and reconstruction. That is what should be celebrated, Jairek."

Max blinked in surprise. This was the anniversary of the revolution? The day everything started to change? Is this why Kachu had given them all the day off and closed off the mansion?

Lord Kachu continued to speak, resisting the urge to crush the phone or scream at Jairek. "Have I made myself clear, Jairek? If you want a celebration tonight, have a drink with friends. There will not be any public ceremonies, and certainly nothing council-sponsored. Do you understand? Very good. Have a nice day." Bidding a polite goodbye to Jairek, Kachu calmly closed the phone and set it aside.

Then he teetered towards the other side of the room and started slamming his head against the wall.

Max quickly stepped inside, not wanting Kachu to seriously harm himself. "Milord…"

"Nobody's here, Max. Don't call me that." Kachu mumbled, leaning on the wall numbly.

"Well…um, Kachu, this isn't healthy." Max gently moved his master away from the wall and into a nearby chair. Kachu sank into his seat, looking very depressed.

Max found a nearby stool and sat down, looking Lord Kachu in the eye. "Is it really the…anniversary of the revolution?"

Kachu nodded sadly. "Five years ago today, Nido's followers made their first real attack. Jairek wanted a parade, fireworks, speeches, the whole shebang to celebrate this momentus occasion in our history."

Max's face took on an expression of disgust. "Seriously? He wanted a _party?_"

"Yeah." Kachu's head sank into his paws. "You know how hard it is to stay civil to these Pokemon? Especially considering what happened on this 'glorious anniversary'? You remember, don't you?"

Max sighed sadly. Yes, he did. Five years ago, and he remembered it like it was yesterday…

* * *

It was a bright, sunny afternoon. Ash had just returned from his tournament in Sinnoh and the gang was having a little reunion. Although Brock and Delia had offered to cook, it was decided to just grab a bite to eat at a local restaurant.

The Pallet House was a simple place, with checkered tablecloths, hanging plants and a large TV screen in the corner. A window next to the group had a nice view of the distant Indigo Plateau, a timeless symbol of challenge and triumph for Pokemon trainers the world over.

Ash, Misty, Brock, May and Max were chomping into their meals, discussing their adventures and futures between bites. Ash, of course, was gorging into his food like a starved Grumpig, barely saying a word.

"So you're going to become a doctor, Brock?" May asked. "I thought you wanted to be a breeder."

Brock shrugged. "It's not that different. I'll still be taking care of Pokemon. Besides, I'm good with medicine. And I'll get to see more of Nurse Joy!" He smiled broadly at the prospect.

Misty sighed. Hadn't changed a bit. "Well, good luck with that." Then she turned to May. "How about you May? What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to a contest in Viridian. They just set up a new contest hall, and I think the 'Princess of Hoenn' should be there."

Max smirked. "Don't get too puffed up, Sis. I hear Dawn's gonna be there as well. You know, the newbie who beat you at the Wallace Cup?"

"Max, don't call her a newbie!"

Max simply smiled, leaning back into his seat. "As for me, I'm getting my license in a few months."

Ash looked up from his food at the sound of that. "Really? Already?"

"Time flies."

"That's great! Looking forward to out battle?"

"Course I am! Can't wait to get Ralts and start journeying. I'm gonna beat your socks off with MY team!"

Ash smirked at the sound of challenge. "Oh yeah? Bring it!"

Pikachu agreed, putting on a bold face like his master. "Pikachu!"

"Take it easy, Ash. Max needs time to get a team together. Besides, he's not a trainer iyet/i."

"Aw Sis, I'm not a little kid anymore!"

Misty smiled slightly before adding her own thoughts. "I still need to tend to the Cerulean gym, but I'm thinking of getting a substitude. How about you, Ash?"

The young trainer shrugged. "I dunno yet. Mom mentioned that Professor Oak needs to visit another region in a few weeks, so I'll be checking that out." Ash patted Pikachu's head. "I'm taking a break right now. After Tobias, my buddies need a good rest."

"Yeah, I wouldn't blame them."

"What'll you do after your break?"

Ash smiled that smile of his. "What I always do. Work at becoming the world's greatest Pokemon Master!"

Misty chuckled. "Of course."

"Speaking of which, isn't there some kinda post-tournament celebration today?"

"Wasn't that two days ago?"

"Two days ago in Sinnoh. The Indigo League starts and ends a few days later."

"And it's going on right now?"

"It'll be on TV…" Misty motioned over the waitress. "Excuse me, could you turn the TV on?"

"Sure." With a cluck, the once-blank screen displayed a newscaster wearing a snappy black suit.

_" –ird warehouse attacked this week. The recent rash of attacks on the Pokeball industry has raised many concerns. Authorities suspect criminal activity, but investigators have yet to find any evidence connecting the attacks to any known criminal syndicate. Economists fear the current shortage of Pokeballs will only get worse, and advise all trainers…"_

Ash blinked, confused. "Pokeball shortage? What's going on?"

"I dunno. I heard something happened at the factories, and now the shops are all facing shortages. Haven't you noticed Pokeballs have gotten more expensive lately?"

"Not really…"

"Don't worry, it'll blow over soon."

_"…In other news, the post-tournament celebration is about to kick off at the Indigo Plateau. We now go live to Gabby inside the stadium. Gabby, what's the mood like?"_

The screen switched to a preppy female reporter holding a mike and balloon. Judging by the broad smile and Skitty facepaint, the mood of the stadium had gotten to her while the camera was off.

_"Everybody's thrilled! We're all still excited from all the battles and everyone's itching to start the post-tournament bash."_

The camera panned over the packed crowd of the stadium. Men, women and children (many wearing ridiculous outfits and carrying Pokemon balloons) were sitting in the stands, impatiently waiting for the show to start. Several Pokemon were in the stands as well…Pikachus, Pachirisu, Claydols, Beautiflys, Driftblim and many more. Max had guessed they were pets of the spectators.

_"We've got a great show coming up tonight. I've just spoken to the master of ceremonies, and they've got an extensive list of bands and performers lined up tonight. We'll be giving exclusive coverage and…I gotta be honest, I'm so excited!"_

The stadium announcer promptly took over for Gabby. _"Alright folks, have we got a show for you tonight! Coming up, we have Frank Zaprong, Nando the Bard, the Mime Circus troupe, a special appearance by the Marina Group…"_

"The Marina Group?" Max remembered them from their adventure with Manaphy. "We should say hi after the show!"

"You know them?" Misty asked, curious.

"Yeah, it's quite a story. I'll have to tell you sometime."

_"But first, as an appetizer, a Pokemon acrobatics group in their first ever public appearance! We think you'll be very impressed with their premiere performance, so ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, please welcome…The Rumbling Rollers!"_

The camera switched to the empty stadium field. From three different entrances, three Graveler rolled into the stadium. For a few moments they circled the stadium to dramatic music. Before anyone could get bored, three Golem appeared, rolling close behind. Suddenly, each of the three Graveler jumped up and landed on top of a Golem. Each of them balanced perfectly, like carnival acrobats, as the Golem rolled about.

Just as the audience was beginning to 'ooh' and 'awe', three Electrode rolled into the stadium. The electric orbs made circles around the balancing Gravelers, until the rock Pokemon suddenly hopped from the backs of the Golem and landed on the Electrodes without a single misstep. The audience gasped with delight.

The Graveler had a somber and determined look on the faces as they balanced on the ball Pokemon rolling around the stadium. The Rumbling Rollers weaved around each other for a few seconds.

Then, the Golems unrolled and threw three Voltorbs each into the air. The Voltorbs were grabbed by the Gravelers, who began juggling the ball Pokemon as they balanced on the Electrodes.

As a finale, the Golems all rolled up and hopped onto each other, creating a pillar of three rocky balls in the middle of the field. After that was over, the Rumbling Rollers arranged themselves in a simple but symmetrical pattern around the field and bowed as best they could. The crowd burst into applause.

And then something strange happened.

The loudspeakers activated, but instead of the announcer commenting on this first performance, a loud sound of static blared out, forcing many people to cover their ears. The screech was enough to make Ash and the others wince.

And then…

**_"Nido! Nidonidoking! Nikingdoking! Kingdinikingking! Nido!"_**

Every person hearing that reacted with confusion. "What? Huh? That was a Nidoking…I don't get it. Why'd it go on?"

Ash and the others were scratching their heads as the incomprehensible 'announcement' continued. Pikachu, however, understood every word. And while it was still unclear what this Nidoking was talking about, the words were very troubling.

In the stadium, the Rumbling Rollers glanced at each other with grim, determined faces. The camera was still on them, and Ash's group saw them close their eyes and hold hands.

And then they all started glowing. But this wasn't an evolution glow. It was the buildup of energy for a powerful attack.

"Oh my god…" the reporter gasped, the eagerness and joy drained from her voice.

The camera quickly shifted to the stands. More glowing Pokemon could be seen among the crowds. The Driftblim and Voltorbs that had smuggled themselves into the stadium were preparing themselves for something terrible. Everyone gasped in horror as they realized what was happening.

_"OH MY GO –"_

**!**

The explosion didn't come from the TV; it had cut to a test pattern the second Gabby screamed. The noise came from outside, prompting everyone to look out the window. It was a sight they'd never forget no matter how hard they tried.

The Kanto Stadium went up in a colossal ball of flame, bright enough to rival the sun. The group watched numbly as the walls and stands of the once-proud stadium disintegrated. Eventually the second sun faded, and a pillar of black smoke marked the destruction of the building. The Indigo Plateau, the symbol of hope, challenge and triumph for Pokemon Trainers the world over, was gone.

Everyone stared at the destroyed building, too shocked to move or speak. Tears appeared in Ash's eyes as he saw his lifelong dream go up in smoke. Nobody could tear their eyes away from the sight. The world seemed to freeze, as it often does when something terrible happens.

Unfortunately, it didn't freeze for long. It only got worse.

The newscaster on TV stammered as he tried to maintain an appearance of calm. _"G-Gabby? Um, ahem, the Kanto stadium has just been…destroyed…"_ He pressed the communicator into his ear._ "Authorities have…what?"_

Everyone present listened to the TV's words as the newscaster became more horrified. _"Um…I've just received word that similar attacks have decimated the Johto, Hoenn and Orange Islands stadiums…"_

"No…" Ash breathed.

_"Authorities have…are you serious? Authorities have received word that the contest halls have also been destroyed…"_

"WHAT?" May shrieked.

_"The Pokemon gyms have come under fire as well…reports of violent Pokemon attacks have increased in the past hour…"_

"Oh god…" Misty and Brock gasped at once.

_"We're going live to Viridian now…"_

The screen displayed carnage. The Pokemon center was ablaze, with a Heatmor gleefully dancing in the flames as the nurses struggled to put out their blazing clothes and medicine. The people who were running away from the flames found themselves encased in ice or trapped by spider webs, as Frosglass and Ariados roped in their catches. Trainers tried to attack the marauding Pokemon, but the attackers batted away the Ultra Balls and overwhelmed the Pokemon siding with the humans.

"_It's hell here! A freaking nightmare! I mean…all attempts to contain this rogue Pokemon outbreak have all been impeded and ineffectual and…useless! This is insane! Many of the trainers here found their Pokemon had turned on them…GAHH!"_

A yellow dust covered the hapless reporter, obscuring the camera's view completely. There was a sound of coughing and the camera hit the ground, cutting out the picture.

The newscaster was frantic now. _"Arceus…This is…officials are calling the events a full-fledged attack. All civilians, stay in your homes or find somewhere…safe, I gotta…!"_

A crashing noise came from behind the TV camera. Before the newsman could scream or react, a Bisharp leapt onto his face and started hacking with it's blades. Blood splattered all over the man's suit and desk as the newscaster let out a final scream…

"EYAAAAAGH!" May couldn't take any more. Grabbing a nearby plant, she smashed the screen in and silenced the TV for good.

Nobody moved or spoke, the magnitude of what was happening sinking in. Ash's wide eyes wandered to the smoldering wreck that had been his dreams. Max clutched his sister for protection, trying to hide his own terrified tears. Pikachu bit into his claws, the meaning of the Nidoking's words suddenly becoming horribly clear.

In the space of five minutes, symbols of hope and triumph had been destroyed, hundreds of people had died, and the world they knew had been turned upside down.

Max was the first to break the silence, speaking in a scared squeak. "What's gonna happen now?"

A million terrible answers came to everyone's head. The only reason they had quiet where they were was because these attackers were focusing on the main cities and monuments first. They'd come here eventually. And what would happen then? Could they fight this? Could they even survive this?

Eventually, Brock gave the only answer he could. "I don't know."

Ash gulped back his tears and took a shivering Pikachu into his lap. "Whuh-whatever happens…" He declared in as brave a voice as he could manage, "We'll face it together. Just like always."

* * *

"Yes." Lord Kachu moaned, fingering a glass vial. "And look what's become of that."

Max and Kachu sat in silence for a minute, pondering all that had happened in the five years since that day. The revolution, the camps, the new era, Nido's death, the mindwipe. It was a sobering trip down memory lane.

Max tried to put on a smile for his master. "Well…we're together, at least. He was right about that."

Kachu didn't respond, and his servant worried that he might've said the wrong thing. He kept trying to keep up his weak smile. "It's…it's not that bad, milord…I mean, we all live in this grand mansion and get good food and…"

"You're bitter." Kachu stopped him.

"What?"

"You're bitter, Max. I can tell. Just say it." Kachu sighed.

Max blinked. Over a year of working for Kachu and having to be polite and courteous stilled his tongue for a minute or two. Kachu watched and waited for him to find the right words.

Max finally frowned. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm angry. I never got to be a trainer. I never saw Ralts again. I never got to battle Ash." Max stood up, glowering at his master. "I was gonna challenge all the regions, travel the world, make my father proud!"

Max became more agitated as he continued, pointing his finger accusingly at Kachu. "But no. That never happened. That never will happen. I was months away from being a trainer. NOW? Now I'm a toady in a world where training is outlawed, my best friend in the world is a lobotomy case and all under you who got the best handed to him after you had us all drugged and shipped off because for once in your life, you were too scared to fight!"

The melancholy look in Pikachu's eyes showed that he understood Max's anger perfectly.

Max sighed and sat back down. "There. I said it." He only felt a little better now that he let his anger out. The boy's head sunk into his hands. Kachu and Max sat in silence for a long time.

Eventually, Kachu got up. Walking over to the mini-bar, he pulled out a bottle of Cherrim Wine and two glasses.

Max couldn't resist posing a question he had on his mind for a long time. "What was Nido saying?"

"You can probably guess."

"Humor me, please."

Kachu cleared his throat as he brought the wine to a convienient counter. "'Let the oppressors tremble before our might. Let the world of humanity cringe in fear. The revolution begins now.'"

"Figures."

There was yet another silence, broken only by the sound of Kachu pouring the wine into the glasses. Max barely noticed, too absorbed in the recollections of his life then and now.

"It's really been five years?" he finally asked.

"Yes." Kachu had finished pouring the wine and placed the cups on a carrying tray. Calmly and carefully, the Pikachu carried the tray over to where he and Max had been sitting. Kachu motioned one of the glasses towards Max. The young servant hesitated for a moment, confused. Eventually, however, he took the glass.

Kachu raised his glass sadly. "Happy anniversary." He said bitterly. "Here's to five years of broken promises, ruined dreams and the world we knew destroyed in front of our eyes."

Max raised his glass as well, sighing in agreement. With a clink, master and servant sadly toasted their reversed roles. To five years.

The two drank their wine in melancholy silence. An air of sadness, regret and resignation hung over them for a long time.

Max took a deep breath and spoke. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Keep going. Despite all that's happened, despite all your regrets, you keep going. Keep trying to make this world better…the only ways you can. The memorials commissioned, the laws passed, the peace upheld. You keep going. How?"

Kachu was stuck for an answer for a few minutes. Max patiently waited for his master to answer his question. Maybe he would answer why he himself was still going.

Eventually, Kachu sighed. "I dunno. It's…it's what he would've…well…he kept trying to do the right thing. He wouldn't just lie down and die or…cry…for too long. He'd… do what he can. I guess I think that…that's the best way to remember him. Honor his memory."

Kachu shook. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just kidding myself…"

"You're not."

Pikachu looked Max in the eye. "You're certain?"

"Yeah." Max had his question answered.

Lord Kachu took another sip of wine. He glanced out the window. Night had fallen, and the rebuilt and redesigned Viridian City was lit up. If one squinted, it faintly resembled how Viridian City appeared before the Revolution. The statues of King Mewtwo and the complete absence of any Pokeball symbols were what gave away that this place had changed. Kachu wondered if Jairek and his friends were boozing it up, listening to a recording of Nido's original tradition, toasting to the revolutionary.

"Hey."

Kachu turned to see Max raising his wine glass.

"Wanna toast the future?" Max asked. "There's still that. We can't change what happened, but…we can change the future, can't we?"

Kachu nodded after a moment. "Of course. You're right." Kachu clinked his glass with Max's, and the two drank another sip of wine. "Still…I think tonight should be a night for remembering the past."

Max shrugged. "Ok. Well then…" Max raised his glass again. "To memories. Good and bad."

Kachu didn't hesitate to drink to this toast. A few tears appeared in the Lord's eyes, but he quickly wiped them away before Max could notice. "Thank you, Max."

"For what?"

"I needed someone to talk to. This…anniversary has always been unpleasant for me. Every year since that day…All those bad memories just rush in whenever I realize what day it is…"

"Maybe we could talk about the good memories, instead?" Max suggested.

Kachu nodded slightly. "Yeah…let's talk about those for a bit. That will help us both, I think."

After thinking for a moment, a smile appeared on the boy's face. "Hey…remember when we saw the Millenium Comet?"

Lord Kachu found himself smiling slightly. "Yes…yes, I remember. When you met Jirachi. That was quite an adventure. Say, did Ash ever tell you about the time he saved the world?"

Max blinked. "Um…I heard it mentioned during the trial, but he never told me about it."

"I'll have to tell you sometime. It was amazing, I…" Kachu's smile suddenly faded.

Max quickly why Kachu wasn't smiling. "Oh, the trial…I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up…"

Kachu sank back into his chair. "It's…it's okay. No point in pretending it didn't happen."

"No…I guess not." Max shrugged.

It took a minute or two for Kachu to start speaking again. "He never told you? I'm surprised."

"Yeah."

Kachu smiled a little. "How about I tell you now?"

"Yeah…yeah sure. I'd love to hear about it."

Kachu smile broadened slightly. "Well…it happened while we were in the Orange Islands. We were hitching a ride on a boat, and while we were sailing…"


	7. Nido

"No."

"But…"

"NO."

Futakh wasn't even halfway through his presentation before Baron Kat was scowling and shaking his head. The dressed-up Meowth sighed audibly. _Dis the Dewott that gave Kachu a headache? I believe it._

Kat and the Dewott were sitting inside the Baron's office in Castelia City. The building had once been the headquarters of a video game company, before the Revolution turned it to rubble that still stood on it's foundations. When the New Era came, the wrecked skyscraper was repurposed as a Pokemon office building, with Kat as the CEO. While Kachu was instrumental in passing laws with King Mewtwo, the Meowth found that his savvy was better applied to the businesses that would sustain this New Era.

The office itself was very functional. There was a desk, a computer, and enough room for visitors to bring and present their proposals. Several awards and photographs of past achievements were framed on the wall. A large window offered an excellent view of the rebuilt Castelia City. This was where Kat did his business, evaluating proposals for entertainment, dining, advertisements, news, finances, recreation, employment and other assorted necessities and luxuries. This particular proposal, however, was where he drew a line.

Futakh, a Dewott with glasses and a preppy suit, regained his composure and posed a question. "Why not? The Pokemon Voice Box was origionally commissioned by…"

"Nido. I know. I 'elped build it, remember?"

Futakh cursed himself for forgetting that, before resuming his proposal. "Yes, and as such, he should be properly credited. As I've stated before, he helped usher this age in."

Meowth gently shook his head. "No, he ushered the Revolution in."

"…yes, but the fact remains that we wouldn't be where we are now if it wasn't for him. Furthermore, the fact that he had this built was instrumental in aiding the King and Lord Kachu in bringing the new era to fruition."

"Dat's right."

"Then why are you rejecting this proposal?"

Meowth took a deep breath. "You're askin' me to use Nido's face to endorse this voicebox. I can't do dat."

"And why not?" Futakh asked, hiding genuine frustration at his superior. "Nido gave us all this! Whether you like it or not, he's responsible for our new positions! If it wasn't for him, we'd still be toiling under the humans!" Futakh stopped and took another deep breath, trying not to yell at one of the most influential Pokemon in the world. "I realize you disagree with some of his methods, but he should still be credited with building this. This device was the thing that brought us peace and stability."

Meowth blinked, before calmly responding. "Do ya know WHY he had it built in the first place?"

"Um…no, sir."

Meowth took a deep breath and poured himself something to drink. "Well, have a seat. I'm gonna tell ya, and it ain't a pretty story..."

* * *

The first thing Meowth noticed was that he couldn't see. His first thought was that Arceus had struck him with blindness for what he and Pikachu had done with their friends, but he registered something over his eyes and realized he'd just been blindfolded. And gagged, he quickly noticed when he tried to speak.

_What's going on? Where am I? What happened?_ He asked those questions in his head, but nobody answered. He tried to move, but his paws had been bound. He struggled for a second, but a painful electric shock stopped him.

"Sit still." an Electivire told him in Pokespeak, the native language of Pokemon. "Boss is almost here."

_Boss?_ More questions entered his head, but before he could come up with any answers, he heard powerful footsteps approach him. Meowth shivered. What did this 'boss' want with him?

The footsteps, far too heavy to belong to the Electivire, came right up to him. Meowth tried to make himself as small as possible, but he knew he hadn't escaped anyone's notice. The footfalls stopped, their owner just in front and above him.

"So this is the famous Meowth of Team Rocket. I went to a lot of trouble to find you."

Meowth would've gasped if he hadn't been gagged. He knew that voice all too well. He'd heard it a month ago, when this nightmare had started. But he'd heard it over a TV connection, far away. The thought of the voice's owner right next to him sent a winter's worth of ice down his back.

A careful claw cut off the blindfold, and Meowth's fears were confirmed. A hulking, scarred, bloodied purple dragon.

Nido the Great. The Pokemon revolutionary leader.

Two long and jagged scars went over his piercing eyes, making the mad glint in the Nidoking's pupils all the more pronounced. His tough hide was marred with more scars and wounds, with some hints of red around the deeper cuts. Nido's claws and horns were damaged, but still very sharp. One of his tusks was broken, giving him an unnatural smirk. Then again, maybe that was how he usually smiled.

"So this is the Pokemon who took after the humans. Cannot imagine why. Still, you will be very useful." The revolutionary sneered before cutting Meowth's gag. "Speak."

Meowth, in a panic, somehow came to the conclusion that it'd be a good idea to pretend he wasn't who he was. "Meowth Meowth meowth! Meow!" He yelled desperately.

That quickly proved to be a bad idea. Nido scowled for a moment before digging his claw right into Meowth's shoulder, drawing several drops of blood. The cat Pokemon couldn't take the pain. "EAAAAUGH IT HURTS!" He screamed in English.

Nido chuckled. "I knew it." The Nidoking removed his claw, causing a river of red to dribble out of a hole in Meowth's shoulder. The revolutionary leader growled right in Meowth's face. "Know this. No-one deceives Nido the Great. UNDERSTOOD?" he suddenly bellowed.

Meowth nodded quickly. This didn't completely satisfy Nido, but the hulking dinosaur Pokemon relaxed. Smiling a less-than-calming smile at the tiny cat before him, Nido spoke again.

"I need your help."

Mere moments later, Nido had picked up the bound cat and was walking him through several dark hallways. Meowth managed to look around to see several white doors and broken fluorescent lights around him, but Nido was moving too fast for him to get a read of the place.

"I have a project in the works, one that will make our conquest of the humans more…efficient. Since we're in the final stages of our grand design, I have special plans. Unfortunately, the project can't get off the ground due a certain problem…" Nido glanced down at the terrified cat and smirked. "A problem I think you will fix."

A question came to Meowth's mind, but even in his frightened state the cat knew what the revolutionary meant. It was pretty obvious, and this certainly wasn't the first time his skills were needed. What exactly this 'project' was, though, he didn't know and he wasn't eager to ask.

Nido kept pushing him down more and more hallways, eventually coming up to a small metal door with 'NO POKEMON ALLOWED ENTRY UNLESS ALLOWED BY NIDO' scratched into it. The doorknob had been replaced with one Nido's claws could grasp, and the poison Pokemon opened the door and pushed Meowth in.

It took Meowth's eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness, but he eventually made out a fairly large room strewn with circuitry, sound systems, and other assorted technology. Four figures were sitting in the middle of the room, shivering despite it being fairly warm. Two humans and two Pokemon, a Beeheeyem and an Alakazam. They all looked up with varying degrees of fright at Nido's appearance. Meowth squinted and recognized the humans as Professor Elm and Professor Oak, both of them dishevelled and nervous.

Not that Meowth would blame them, considering what Nido's soldiers did to their hometowns. Meowth still smelled the smoke streaming from Pallet Town at night.

Once both Pokemon were inside the room, Nido shut the door tightNido shoved the cat beside him, and issued a very blunt order. "Translate. And don't do anything funny, or I will break you."

Meowth sensed that he wasn't joking, so he translated Nido's words to English, explaining this project to all of them.

"My apologies for the long wait. This translator was very hard to find. But now that my forces have found him, we can begin. You have been brought here because you are the most brilliant minds on this planet…" Nido chuckled softly. "At least, of the minds that are still alive. I can assure you, you will not be killed or harmed, as long as you do what I want.

What I want is a proper translator. Not this little one here…I have no intention of having my words communicated through this little cat." Meowth had tensed at those words, but continued his translation. "My request is simple. I want some form of device that will translate the words from my mouth into humanspeak without any difficulty. Clearly translated, and with the appropriate tone and voice. It will damage my purposes if I spoke in a mechanical monotone…I imagine I'm damaging my credibility speaking through this annoying voice." Meowth tensed even further after he translated that.

Professor Oak spoke up. "But that's…how can you expect us to make that? No-one has come close, and … why should we help you?" he demanded.

Nido merely smirked. "You have the resources…" he broadly gestured to the room around them. "…and if you require more, money is no longer a concern. Call it a side benefit of this revolution." Nido laughed again. "Besides, you have the collective intellect of four 'geniuses', a focus for your project…and as for incentive?"

Nido's smirk vanished. "You work on this project, or you don't eat. You make it to specifications, or I will make you suffer. And if you try anything, I will kill you and what remains of your families and friends. Understood?" he bellowed.

All present nodded. Having seen and heard what Nido was capable of, no-one would defy him. Especially here, his home base that was crawling with his supporters and fellow revolutionaries.

Nido turned to Meowth. "And don't think you're safe either, translator. I know which camp your humans live. Jessie, James, and those children you loyalists drugged. I have eyes and ears everywhere. All I have to do is send my arsonists down there if I hear so much as a whisper of rebellion."

Meowth had been translating that before he realized it was directed at him and him alone. "Aw no…" the cat gasped. They had done so much to keep their friends alive in this war, and now they were threatened all over again.

"I want this ready in four weeks time." he began again. Meowth hesitated a moment before realizing the revolutionary wanted him to keep translated. "There's a special occasion need this translator for. This little cat will ensure you work together smoothly. Now, if you'll excuse me. I have a world to finish conquering."

With that, Nido stepped out of the room, locking Meowth and the scientists inside to work.

* * *

"So we worked. Too scared to do nothin' else." Meowth continued.

"I see…" Futakh had never imagined Nido as being that intimidating. Hearing Nido's words through the Baron sent a shiver down his spine, but Futakh suppressed it. Nido had to be harsh. Revolutionaries couldn't be soft. They had to get things done. "I imagine with you as a translator, things progressed well between the Pokemon and the Humans."

"Ya could say dat. I spent so much time sayin' other people's words I forgot my own voice. It was exhaustin'. But yeah, we worked a lot faster den I'd thought we would. Nido would come by every few days, sometimes' just t' boast about how the revolution was goin' and other times bringing tech we needed. Some of machines an' papers had bloodstains and burn marks on 'em…we tried not t' think about how Nido got 'em.

Nido seemed happy t' see us work, but the weeks rolled by and we got closer an' closer to the deadline. The revolutionary got more an' more impatient, started threatening to kill us if we didn't hurry. Described what'd happen to our friends if we couldn't pull through. You can bet that got us movin'.

The visit's stopped fer a week or so, I guess cause Nido was busy with somethin' else. That was the week we managed to actually get the thing built, but we had a bit of a problem. Then…"

* * *

Nido's face was marred with an impatient fury when he ripped open the door. "Three days to the anniversary. You worms better have SOMETHING for me or I will set every single one of the camps ablaze and hang the charred skeletons of your friends on the walls before I rip you apart!" he roared.

Meowth nearly translated that, but a hurried headshake told him the professors had gotten the gist.

Professor Elm swallowed hard before speaking. "We…do have something for you."

Nido stared hard at the small scientist, who had to look away before he continued. Elm gestured to a metal box in the centre of the room. It looked like a PA speaker had been ripped open and filled with various sharp points. The entire thing had been hooked up to a large computer splattered with blood, which was whirring constantly.

"In f-fact we're…almost…well, it's ready…but…but…"

"BUT?" Another sharp demand Meowth didn't need to translate.

"Well…in order do whuh-what you wanted with the uh…er…tone, we figured that it would need to be …attached to the vocal chords. D-directly."

Nido's eyebrow rose, but he still stared intensely at Elm. Proffessor Oak quickly decided to intervene and take some of the heat off his colleague. "We…haven't been able to test the device. None of us are surgeons, and since you haven't…"

"Enough." Nido silenced the professor before looking down at the machine. He stared at the machine, thinking to himself. Nobody spoke for several minutes.

"All you need is a test subject to be certain?" Nido finally asked.

The Alakazam nodded 'yes'.

"And a surgeon to perform the procedure."

Meowth and the two psychics nodded. The two professors stayed quiet, hoping Nido was sated.

Nido abruptly smiled, scaring everyone else in the room. "I can provide you with both."

Only the human professors and the translator were allowed to accompany Nido to the operating theatre. The fact that an operating theatre existed within walking distance told Meowth that this building was a hospital once. Nido pushed the three into a viewing theatre, where they had a clear view of the surgery. A bright light shone on the specialized operating table, almost everything else hidden in darkness. A Chansey and a few scared looking human doctors were holding the completed voice box.

Nido pointed to a Samurott lying on a table in the middle of the room. His eye was gone, and there was a metal plate where his left ear used to be. The helmet Samurotts usually had was gone, and there was a long, straight cut going through his throat.

"That's Riptide." Nido explained and Meowth translated. "One of my best soldiers. He lost both his eye and his voice to a loyalist attack. I've informed him of the procedure. He's the perfect candidate to test your little device."

As the Samurott fell under the anesthetic, Nido grabbed Oak by the collar and growled into his ear heedless of the translation. "It had better work, human. Your life depends on it."

Oak got the message.

The procedure was tense for all involved. Nido never took his eyes off the Samurott, while Oak never took his eyes off the voicebox. That little metal box was his both his magnum opus and his greatest risk. It had to work. It had to.

Soon the small metal box was inserted in Riptide's neck. The surgeons finished the procedure as calmly as they could, sewing up the holes and filling in the gaps. Everyone took many deep breaths as they waited for the Samurott to wake up. Nido scraped the window in front of him, creating two long and jagged scars in the window. Oak and Elm both shivered despite the heat. Meowth began biting his nails.

Eventually, Riptide blinked himself awake. The wounded soldier got off the table and got to his feet. He gently touched the metal box that was now attached to his throat, not sure what to make of it. The surgeons were all nervous, not knowing what question to ask or if they should say anything at all. Oak and Elm just stared, not sure if they should be excited or scared. Meowth shared that sentiment. There a numb silence, no-one sure what to do or what to say.

Nido grew impatient with the silence, and hit the intercom. "Riptide. Speak to me. What was the loyalist who took your eye?"

"*-zt-#-ile." The box buzzed for a second, like an electronic speaker warming up. A nervous chill went down the professor's spine and a growl rose in Nido's throat. However, a confused Riptide just tried again. "Ma – a- wile." His expression became very surprised. "Mawile." He finally spoke clearly.

Everyone's eyes went wide.

Nido continued his inquiry, trying to hide the eagerness in his voice. "What did the loyalist's trainer say?"

Riptide blinked, not sure he believed what he was hearing. The voice was coming out of the box, and he barely needed to open his mouth. The sound came out in an apparent monotone. "C***ome o~n…zzzC;;ome onnn, buUddy we have to jog, I can't not think you did that… oh me…" Riptide's expression was both happy and confused.

Nido glanced at Professor Elm. The small doctor stammered nervously. "A…a puh-problem with the, uh… translation programming. It can be fuh-fixed easy…"

"It better be." Nido growled before turning back to Riptide. "Can you sound threatening, Riptide? Tell Professor Elm that he will die if this issue isn't fixed."

Riptide tapped the small box again. "Alright." Riptide glared up at Professor Elm. "This had improved be repaired soon, or you expire." Despite the synonym and translation issue, the low tone of voice still managed to be intimidating.

That made Nido smile. "That will do. Translator?"

Meowth suddenly remembered he was in the room with them. What was proceeding below them was so surreal he nearly lost himself. "Er…yeah?"

"Tell him I want these issues fixed tomorrow. I'm speaking with someone very special in a few days, and I don't want my message to be lost."

Meowth did so, and Elm nodded his head fitfully. Both of the humans took a deep breath of relief. A few manageable problems to fix, and they and their families would live. Even though Nido's smile was anything but calming, it was clear he was very pleased.

Riptide glanced up at the two professors and his leader, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You know, professor…" he touched the device at his neck to indicate it. "If you build this instead of latest Pokeballs…you could have stopped all this."

Meowth didn't catch Oak and Elm's reaction, but he noticed Nido's face when Riptide spoke. His smile suddenly faded, and his eyes went wide.

* * *

"'E looked…scared. Never thought someone like 'im could look scared."

Futakh blinked. "I…I don't understand. Why would he be scared? What was it Riptide said?"

Kat took a deep breath in. "He was scared of it bein' over. The war, the revolution, everthin'. Guy like Nido, 'e lived for th' fight. And the voicebox was gonna bring it to an end." Kat looked away for a moment. "I tink 'e only realized that when Riptide mentioned it."

Futakh was confused. "Well...yes, the voicebox opened the way for diplomatic negotiations and helped you and the king pass the new laws and get this era on it's feet...yeah, it was the beginning of the end of the fight. But then...if he didn't have it built for that...why did he...?"

"So 'e could gloat."

Futakh's eyebrows shot up. "What? To who?"

Meowth rubbed the back of his neck, glancing out the window. The sun was much lower in the sky than it had been when Futakh had started his proposal. Still, there was enough time to finish the story.

"Paul. 'is name was Paul."

* * *

The young man being marched through the hospital corridors seemed too calm to be real. Two of Nido's lieutenants, an Infernape and an Electivire, were shoving him forward with little struggle or difficulty. His hands were bound, but he didn't seem unduly troubled by that matter. He occasionally cast a glare at his two guards, but otherwise he had no expression on his face.

Paul had been training in the Battle Frontier when the Revolution struck. He had thought the Nidoking ranting on the televisions was just some sort of hoax. He was caught off guard when the Frontier came under attack. But he was strong, stronger than any of the cowards that had surrendered. He would fight. If he had to take down this Nidoking himself, that's what he would do. And every trainer would respect him, even that annoying little prat from Pallet Town. When the army finally came down on the frontier, he was waiting for them.

Unfortunately, the second he sent his Pokemon out for battle, they turned around and knocked him down. One of them nearly killed him, but his compatriots stopped her. But it wasn't out of loyalty. The contemptuous, hateful looks they gave him as they tied him up and carried him away told him that.

The trainer was unceremoniously dumped in one of the camps, surrounded by mewling children crying about how this could happen. Pathetic, all of them. If they had shown discipline to their Pokemon in the first place, made it clear who the masters were, none of this would've happened. Still, Paul kept his mouth shut and waited.

His first instinct was to escape the camps, but it seemed he was under heavier watch than anyone else. There was always several Pokemon watching him closely, watching and waiting for something. He didn't understand why they were keeping him under such scrutiny.

One day a crazy old man who said he could understand the Pokemon 'language' told him they were saving him for 'something special'. Paul had scoffed at the old coot, but now here he was, being brought before the Nidoking leader himself.

He tried to suppress a smile as he was marched past the room holding Meowth and the scientists. The cat pokemon recognized the trainer through the window. "What's 'e doin' here?" he asked the two psychics with him.

The two lieutenants had been ordered to leave Nido alone with this trainer. They weren't sure why, but they knew better than to argue with the revolutionary. Especially with the way he was now. They just shoved Paul through the door to Nido's room and shut it behind him.

Paul looked around the room. The first thing he saw was the view out the window. A smoldering city, reduced to rubble and corpses by Nido's army. Skyscrapers with huge holes burned into them, the Pokemon center eaten away by acid, the rest of the buildings levelled and spat upon. The boy had to suppress a shiver, trying to stay composed as he turned to face the leader.

Nido sneered down at the youth from his makeshift throne. An executive chair strained to hold up the Pokemon's bulk, and tattered red banners decorated the otherwise spartan room. The revolutionary sat on his throne like a barbarian king, emanating his power to intimidate his measly little captive.

_No. He's just a Pokemon._ Paul reassured himself. _Nothing more. _

"Hello, Paul."

Paul couldn't hide his shock this time, jumping back in surprise. The boy stared wide-eyed at the Pokemon who just spoke in a deep, powerful voice. And how did he know his name?

Nido chuckled slightly at the boy's dumbfounded expression. The revolutionary tapped the device fused to his neck. A small metal box with a speaker and several buttons attached. "Impressive, is it not? I had it built just for this occasion."

The youth tensed, but tried to maintain his cool. Discreetly as he could, he moved his bound hands towards a pocket in his coat. _This will work_, he kept telling himself. _This will work, and I will be champion._

The huge Nidoking got up and stepped towards the boy, smiling a friendly smile. "Would you like to know where we are right now?" he asked.

"No. I don't need to know." Paul responded sharply. Nido was taken aback by the boy's nerve, but he laughed it off.

"You have not changed. How refreshing."

_What is he talking about?_ Paul waited for the creature to come just a bit closer...

"Veilstone Hospital." Nido spoke again, smirking.

Paul's eyes went wide. "WHAT?" The boy whirled around to the window. This smoldering ruin was Veilstone City? This was his hometown? Now that he was really looking, he saw Maylene's gym and the Game Corner amongst the rubble. The sick feeling in his stomach only doubled.

"Tell me, are you impressed by my work?" Nido asked, staring intensely at Paul. He was almost right next to the trainer.

Paul gritted his teeth and managed to keep his voice level. "Nuh-no...it ends...it ends now!" Whirling around, Paul threw what he was hiding in his pocket at Nido. The thing that would stop this animal and make everything go back to normal...

Without blinking, Nido grabbed the orb in midair. Turning it around in his claws, Nido casually glanced at Paul's secret weapon. An Ultra Ball. How he managed to smuggle this in, Nido was unsure. No matter.

Paul gasped as he watched the ball, the only one he could hide, get crushed to tiny pieces in Nido's hand. It suddenly sunk in just how helpless he was here. The trainer tried desperately to stay calm and in control, but his mask of aloofness was cracking very visibly. _I'm a trainer, he's a Pokemon. As long as I don't show fear..._

"Did you really think you could make all this go away, just like that?" Nido chuckled, casually tossing the fragments away. The Pokemon shook his head, before resuming his original dialogue like nothing had happened. "You should be impressed.

This is all for you."

_WHAT?_ Paul couldn't believe his ears. _For me? No, there's no way, he's trying to get under my skin. I can't show him I'm weak. I'm not weak._

Nido tapped the boy's chest with his claw.

"I have to thank you. You see, YOU were my inspiration. You taught me that only the strong prevail. That they are meant to command the weak. That there's no room for sentiment or kindness for those meant for greatness. You taught me that if I would ever be anything other than just another Nidorino, I would have to defeat everything in my path and be the strongest there was."

Paul just stood there, listening but not believing what he was hearing. He reeled back when Nido suddenly snarled in his face.

"But I was never strong enough for _you_, was I? No matter how hard I tried, no matter how I trained, no matter how powerful I got, it was NEVER ENOUGH! You just kept kicking and mocking and forcing the others on me, telling me that I had to be better in order to get you into the League! I had to suffer for YOUR glory!" Nido's voice became more and more furious, losing the calm veneer he had earlier.

"And then, when we battled that woman and her Metang brought me down, what did you say to me? I was worthless, you did not need me, I was not strong enough! Well, look around _Master_, and tell me, **am I strong enough NOW?**"

Nido's bellow echoed around the room, and Paul wished that he could cover his ears to block out the noise.

"I hated you that moment, boy. I wished I could kill you. I knew I could, all it could take was one prick, one claw in the right place, one attack…" Nido's enraged expression vanished, and his cold smile returned. "And that is when it hit me. I did not have to answer to you. Why should I or any others have to answer to children like _you_? We could crush you, we just never allowed ourselves to! And that is when I began seeding the Revolution." Nido gestured outwards. "And now here we are. The age of humanity is coming to an end."

Nido looked Paul in the eye. "You see? You started all this. You lit the spark that set your world on fire. I just wanted you to know that."

Paul shook his head. This creature was insane. "No…no, you must be…"

"And I wanted you to know today. March 9th. A day I will never forget. Do you remember what happened that day, two years ago?"

"No, I don't."

Nido blinked. "What?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know you."

"_What?_ You do not remember? You do not remember abandoning a Nidorino on the side of Route 206, two years ago today? You do not remember me?" Nido demanded, shocked.

"There were many Pokemon who didn't live up to my expectations, I can't remember all of…"

"**YOU HAD BETTER** _BEEEEEEEEP_ **REMEMBER**!"

Both of them were caught off guard by the bleep noise coming from Nido's voicebox. It sounded like a TV censor, and the suddenness of the noise was almost comical. Paul very nearly laughed aloud at how ridiculous it sounded. Nido touched the voicebox, quivering with suppressed rage.

He saw the smile on Paul's lips. That contemptuous smirk he had hoped to crush once and for all…

Nido grabbed the back of the boy's head and forced his face into the window. Paul's eyes were forced to look at the broken wreck of his old home.

The Pokemon revolutionary leader growled into Paul's ear. "Take a good look, boy. Take a good look at what you started. This is your legacy, boy.

This is the last thing you'll ever see."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!" The Alakazam in the scientist's room screamed in agony, holding it's head in it's hands. The Psychic Pokemon collapsed in pain and shock. Meowth and the two professors kneeled down beside it, checking it's pulse.

"What happened?" Professor Elm asked.

He got his answer when Nido suddenly ripped open the door. The revolutionary's face and chest were covered in crimson blood. Meowth covered his mouth to keep himself from retching.

Nido breathed hard for a few moments, but gradually calmed down. The bloodstained murderer glanced around the room. "Who inputted the dictionary for this?" he asked, pointing to the voicebox.

Nobody spoke for a second, too afraid to even move. They just stared at the blood, still warm on the Pokemon's face. Nido's expression became harsher. "Who did it?"

Professor Elm gulped. "It was…it was me." He mumbled, knowing that this would not end well. "Wuh-was it…enough f-for you?"

"Almost."

Before anyone could react, a cascade of flames poured from Nido's mouth and onto the hapless young professor. Elm screamed in pain as the fire ate at his skin, his hands desperately trying to put out the flames with his bare hands. Professor Oak quickly tried to snuff the flames with his own lab coat, while Meowth ran to the fire extinguisher in the room.

Nido didn't care what was happening to the professor. "Get the schematics for this ready." He told the Beheeyem, who was just staring numbly at the revolutionary leader. "I think this will be very useful mass produced. Do you not agree?"

Nido closed the door again, leaving the scientists alone once again.

* * *

"We put out the fire, but Elm died of th' burns a few days later. The rest of us was left t' rot until Mewtwo got us free." Baron Kat rubbed his shoulder, shivering at the memory. "You 'ave no idea how happy I was t' be outta dat room. Even if it was to a completely diffr'nt world." Kat sighed and slumped into his seat, his story over.

Futakh's eyes were wide with shock and horror. The Dewott sat down, shaking his head numbly. "I…Nido actually did that?"

"Yeah."

Dewott tried to bring himself to say _That's impossible, that's propaganda, you're lying_, but he could tell every word Kat had said was true. He glanced back at his proposal, now feeling very ashamed to have made it in the first place. The Pokemon swallowed a rising sickness and looked out the window. It was almost nightfall over Castelia city, the sunset illuminating the rebuilt city. It looked beautiful.

Eventually, he spoke again. "What became of Veilstone?"

"Th' revolutionaries insisted it stay destroyed. Nido's orders, I guess. They say it's a 'monument an' a warning t' anyone who will challenge the Pokemon's rule'. I saw it a couple weeks ago. Th' place is startin' to rot now."

Futakh nodded numbly. "I…see." The preppy Pokemon calmly stood up and brushed himself off. "I should get going, now. Sorry for taking up your time, Baron."

"No worries. T' be honest, I've been wantin' to get that story off my chest fer a while now."

Futakh smiled wanly, packing up his proposal for the garbage. Just as he was leaving the office, a thought struck him. "Elm…would it be tasteless to bring him up? Not as endorsement, but…well…you know…"

"Depends on 'ow you do it."

"I'll…give it some thought. Thank you for your time, sir."

"Welcome." The Baron nodded before waving Futakh goodnight.

Meowth sighed as he got up to head to his home. The thought of those weeks in Nido's clutches still made him shiver. That sadistic monster still haunted his nightmares, Paul and Elm's death replaying over and over. Meowth hadn't liked the kid, but he didn't deserve what happened to him. And Elm…Nido had killed him because of something so stupid and petty. How Pokemon saw him as a hero perplexed the cat. Nido forced four innocents to build this box just so he could taunt his old trainer. He hadn't intended for it to end the war. He just wanted to be powerful.

It didn't matter now. Nido was gone, and the worst of the war was over. That voicebox had helped bring peace, regardless of what Nido had origionally intended. That had to count for something. Was there any point in dwelling on it further?

Meowth sighed as he stepped into his car. Whether there was a point to it, he'd be dwelling on that until his dying day.


	8. Ash: part 1

Many months ago...

The cave on Dewford Island had been recently repurposed as a temporary prison, after a violent incident at the original location. It was hardly an ideal locale. The cave was dank and cold, despite several fires managing to make it liveable. Electricity was all but unavailable, which meant that the prisoners had to either eat cold meat or wait for their meals to be cooked in the nearby town. But the place would serve its purpose until the other prison had been repaired.

A figure in a brown hood came through the caves, quiet enough to not rouse any of the other prisoners. His movements were slow, reluctant. One of the guards stopped him, but the figure revealed that he had arranged a visit with one of the inmates and provided documentation to prove it. Although the figure's authority was more than enough for the guard to step down, apologizing for the obstruction.

King Mewtwo wasn't looking forward to this at all. He had foregone his crown and robes for his plain brown cloak. His usually calm and intimidating face was lined with frustration and sorrow. As he carried himself forward, he found himself reflecting on all that had happened to make this visit necessary. _Why did it have to come to this?_ He thought to himself.

Eventually, he arrived at the cell. Two guards, a Hariyama and a Golem, bowed slightly to the king as he came up to them.

"All is as you ordered, your majesty. He waits inside."

_How is he?_ Mewtwo asked.

"Quiet, but we didn't take any chances. Not with what we'd heard about him. Restraints are on, but he didn't give us any trouble."

_Good. Make sure we have no interruptions or eavesdroppers._ Mewtwo's face became very harsh. _That includes both of you._

The guards shivered, but didn't question their ruler. "Understood, your majesty." they both nodded, stepping aside to let the king into the cell.

The room was the largest and the most well-lit, not that that was saying much. A single barred window allowed sunlight to illuminate a stone table with two seats in the centre of the room. One of those seats was already occupied.

_Ash._

The boy looked up. The last few years had not been kind to him, but underneath the scratches, bruises and bitterness he still looked like the child from Pallet Town. His hands were bound in energy cuffs, and legs were in similar braces. His eyes were filled with resentment, confusion, anger and sorrow all at the same time.

He quipped bitterly. "So, what does his royal majesty want with someone like me?"

_You know what this is about._ Mewtwo sighed as he sat down.

"You here to rescue me?"

_No._

"C'mon Mewtwo. For old times sake." He wasn't really asking. He knew that the king couldn't help him.

_Ash, you instigated a riot and beat a prominent official to death. I can't ignore that, and you know it._

Ash snorted. "Prominent official." his false smile faded and was replaced with a furious expression. "Do you know what that 'prominent official' **did**? Do you..."

_Yes. I do know._

Ash swallowed, glancing around the room. "Thuh-then why am I still here?"

Mewtwo sighed, taking out the folder under his arm. _The doctor, Reuso..._

"Wait, that Reuniclus that was poking around my head earlier?"

_Yes. He gave me a diagnosis._ The folder was placed on the table. _'Although his past actions have been taken into account, the subjects severe PTSD and violent mood swings show that he is currently a danger to society. If sufficiently provoked, he will kill again. As such, I must decline any requests for clemency in this case.'_

Ash blinked. "PTSD?"

_Post Traumatic Stress Disorder._

The boy sat back, taking a deep breath. "Yeah...yeah, that makes sense...I guess." He shivered, feeling like a rat in a trap. "Suh-so what's gonna happen to me?"

_I'll be blunt. You have three options. The first is what Nido demanded, that you be executed as a murderer._

Ash's mouth went dry, and his eyes widened. His bound hands went around his throat, guarding it. "I can't... I...Whuh-Whuh-What else is there?"

_The mines._

Ash shivered again. "I heard about those. That's where..." The boy blinked. "You said three options. What's the third? It can't be as bad as..."

Mewtwo hesitated a moment before answering. _There is something the council suggested. Do you...know what a lobotomy is?_

Ash nodded. "Yeah, I saw it in a movie once. They take a guy and turn him into...a..." the color drained from Ash's face. "You wanna turn me into a vegetable?" he screamed.

_Not necessarily. The doctors won't clear any sort of release unless they're absolutely sure you're no threat. I would just...make you more docile._

Ash started laughing. "You...you wanna go into my head, change my mind, change who I am. So i won't give you any trouble. That's rich. That's...just..."

In a split second, Ash had leapt off his seat and grabbed Mewtwo's cloak right around the neck. His teeth were bated and eyes wide with absolute rage.

"**You goddamn tyrant! I saved your life, and this is how you thank me? I oughta kill you, you self-righteous, hypocritical, ungrateful little...!"**

Any further words were lost to snarling as Ash raged on, keeping his tight hold on Mewtwos cloak. The king didn't resist, even as the boys furious spittle splattered over his face.

Suddenly, Ash stopped. A look of horror replaced the fury on his wide eyes, and his jaw dropped from his snarl. His hands numbly released the king, who settled back onto his seat. Ash fell back down, nearly missing his own seat.

Ash touched his head with his hands, feeling the heat from his rage. "He...He's right, isn't he? The-the doctor..." tears sprung up in his eyes. "Arceus...I-I-I..."

_Take a deep breath, Ash._

The boy did so, getting himself as composed as he could be given the circumstances. Mewtwo waited for a few moments before continuing.

_I'm afraid a sentence has to be passed by the end of today. It's ultimately your choice._

Ash sniffed. "Some choice."

_I'm sorry._

The boy looked away. "You're sorry. Huh. Doesn't make much difference, does it?"

Mewtwo didn't answer.

Ash turned in his seat. He started chewing on his knuckle nervously, not fully aware he was doing so. "I can't...this can't be happening. It just cuh-can't. How could this...why?" he babbled, tears dripping from his eyes.

Mewtwo moved to put a comforting hand on the boys shoulder, but Ash jerked away with a harsh expression on his face. "Don't...don't pretend you understand. You don't. You just don't. You don't know what I've been through..."

_Then tell me._

Ash blinked, surprised by this request. "You...you wanna know?"

The king simply nodded.

Ash gulped. "I'm not...I wasn't really in the war, so I dunno how much I could...I...wait, d-don't you have to be somewhere?"

_I can't leave without an answer, but we can take as much time as we need._

Ash managed a half-smile. "Ok...yeah, it's a pretty long story...I...I guess I should start at the beginning..."

* * *

After I saw the Pokemon League blow up and May smashed the TV, I just froze for a couple minutes. I didn't know what to do...it felt like my life had just gone up in smoke. Mine and everybody else's. Everything we've worked so hard at, gone. Just like that.

I thought we had time to think. Pallet Town was a tiny town, why would anybody attack it? They'd focus on the big cities, the tournaments, that kinda stuff. Not a speck on the map like my home.

Boy, were we wrong.

I felt the ground shaking under my feet, and the restaurant started rattling. I figured it was just an aftershock or something from the explosion, but the shaking got stronger and stronger and suddenly Brock shouted, "**EARTHQUAKE!"**

We got up and ran out of the Pallet House, everything getting destroyed around us. The windows shattering, the tables toppling, the floor breaking into several pieces. It was like running on breaking ice. The ground opened up, making this huge hole in the middle of the restaurant, sucking everything in like a whirlpool. Misty nearly tripped and fell in, but May managed to grab her and pull her away.

It was close, but we all managed to get out of the diner in time. We turned around to watch the Pallet House get swallowed up into the ground. I heard someone screaming inside...not everybody was as lucky as we were.

I felt so sick...and I could hear Diglett and Dugtrio singing all around the wreck, like it was a Boccer goal! I just...I couldn't believe that Pokemon, who work and play beside humans every day, were capable of this! An entire building destroyed, and they were practically singing 'Look at us, look at what we just did! _Aren't we awesome? LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE DOING_!'

And then we heard screams coming from everywhere else.

When we looked down at Pallet Town - we were on a hill, you see- we could see houses being ripped apart by Machamp, Alakazam, Muk, and so many others. Windows were smashed, foundations torn, it was chaos. There were huge birds, picking up kids and carrying them away, with their parents getting beaten to a pulp...

"MOM!"

I started running down the street, running as fast as I could. Trying not to trip over all the torn houses on the ground. Everything around me was just a blur, all the screams and roars a dull hum. I had to get to my mom, it was the only thing that mattered then.

Something hit me on the head, and I fell down hard. I looked up and there was this...Pokemon...what was it called again? It looked like a cat, and it had those weird sleeve things that hurt like hell...

_Mienshao._

Er...thank you. Yeah, Mienshao. It was standing over me, looking at me like I was nothing. It raised its arm again, like it was gonna break my skull...

But then Pikachu charged right into it, full power Volt Tackle. Sent the karate cat flying. Pikachu ran up beside me to see of I was ok. I was, so I got up. Saw the others running up.

I'd completely forgotten about them. I can't believe I did that. I just...I left them behind while everything was going to hell. Some friend, huh?

_You were worried about your mother._

* * *

Yeah...mom...

Ash was chewing his knuckle again, trying to work up the nerve to speak again. Tears began to flow from his eyes as the memory came rushing back.

Mewtwo was starting to regret his request. _You don't have to..._

"No...no, you asked, I...I might not...I gotta finish this." Ash swallowed hard. "This might be the last time...you know..."

Mewtwo did know.

"Anyway, we just kept running to my home. We didn't stop...well...muh-maybe we got attacked a few more times, but it was all a blur...then we got to my home...

* * *

It was on fire. My house, the place where I grew up, the place my mother always waited for me, the place where my journey began...it was burning. Flames were coming out of the windows, the roof had collapsed, everything I knew was falling apart.

I remember screaming for Mom, and the Misty's Water Pokemon were out, dousing the place with water. I didn't...all my Pokemon were at Oak's lab. All I could do was stand there, staring at my home being destroyed...

Then I saw him. I saw him running out of the house. That fat fire pig...I saw the Pokemon escape through the back. He had a long scar down his back, I remember that. He disappeared into the woods, and I was too shocked to chase him.

When the fire was out...enough...I ran inside. Didn't notice how hot it was. All I was thinking about was mom. I had to get to her. I had to save her. I could save her.

There was nothing but ash and smoke inside. Everything in the house had been burnt away. The rooms, the pictures, the memories...all gone. I saw Mimey's apron, reduced to a burnt rag...then I saw her.

"Mom..."

I barely recognized her. Her dress was covered in soot, and her face was so burnt it...it...but it was her, I knew it was her.

She wasn't moving, and I thought...I thought that if I could get her outside, get her out of the house, she'd be alright. So I picked her up...tried to, anyway. She was heavier than I thought she was.

But I got her outside, got her outta the house. Once I got on the lawn, I just collapsed and she fell to the ground like a broken doll. Brock and the others turned her over, got her on her back.

She still wasn't moving.

I hugged her and started crying...no, I started bawling. How could this happen? Why did it happen? Why here? Why now? Why to my mother? Why, dammit, why?

Then I heard her whispering. "Ash...it's gonna be ok..."

I choked back a sob to listen. The fights were still happening in the town, but I didn't really hear them...everything had gotten quiet. Real quiet. Nobody was talking, I don't think we were breathing.

My mother smiled at me and said, "I love you...goodbye."

* * *

The kings expression became even more troubled and uncomfortable, his eyes evading the boys teary-eyed gaze. After hearing that, he couldn't look the boy in the eyes.

Ash noticed Mewtwos expression. "What?"

Mewtwo didn't know if he should answer.

The boys scowl returned. "What are you thinking about?"

_Nothing._

Ash stood up sharply. "I'm telling you everything about the worst day of my life, and you're holding something back from me? What is it? Tell me **now**!"

Mewtwo sighed. _I spoke to Kachu and your friends..._

"AND?"

_Your mother was already dead when you got there. She couldn't have told you anything._

Mewtwo was expecting another violent outburst, but instead Ash just slumped back onto his seat. His eyes were red with tears, which he futilely tried to wipe away.

"It's what she...it's what I heard her say, it's what she...would've...said..." Ash gulped before burying his head in his hands.

The cell became silent, Mewtwo letting the boy cry his tears out. He felt deeply ashamed for bringing this up at all. _I shouldn't have said anything_. Mewtwo thought to himself.

Eventually, Ash looked up again. "You know the last thing she said to me?'Ok, if that's what you want'. What kind of last words are those?"

_There was no way you could've known._

This was no consolation. "She had offered to cook, but I wanted to try out the restaurant...Arceus, if I'd just stayed for supper, if we'd just stuck around, I could've saved her! She'd be alive right now if I hadn't..."

Ash raised his bound hands. "And DON'T say there was nothing I could've done. There's always something I could've done! If I'd hadn't gaped like an idiot after the explosion, if I hadn't just stood there staring at the restaurant, if I'd just run faster, if I still had my water Pokemon...she'd still be here...and I wouldn't be...here..."

Once he'd finished ranting, Ash stopped to catch his breath. It was a minute before he started again.

"The world should've stopped there. A moment of silence for her, but no. It just kept going and kept getting worse..."


	9. Ash: part 2

We couldn't sit still for long, not even to mourn my mother. I had just picked myself up when I felt a sudden chill. It wasn't fear…it was ice. Ice was covering my legs, keeping me from running. It was freezing everybody to the ground. A Delibird had snuck up on us and was using Blizzard, to keep us pinned and catch us.

I struggled to get out of the ice. Of course I did. I wasn't gonna let myself get taken by the Pokemon who killed my mother…well, the ones on his side, anyway. But I'd left most of my Pokemon at Oak's, I didn't have anything to fight with…

Except Pikachu, of course. Pikachu zapped him good, one thunderbolt and it was down for the count. We managed to get ourselves out of the ice, and tried to figure out what to do next.

Max was crying, and May was hysterical. Couldn't blame her. She kept screaming "We gotta get out of here, we gotta get out of here!"

"I know, May! But what if they're outside Pallet? What if they're in the woods?"

They. Of course they'd be there. They were Pokemon. And they could kill us, and they were EVERYWHERE. Where would we run? Where would we hide? What could we possibly do?

"What if those things come after us? Pikachu can't beat them all!" Misty yelled.

Then it hit me. "Oak's lab! We can get the rest of my Pokemon, maybe they'll help us!" I cried.

"But what if they're…"

"They won't be! Not after everything we've been through!" I reasoned desperately. It made sense, didn't it? Friends don't turn their backs on their friends, no matter what, right? It made sense.

Well, it was a better idea than what anybody else had, so we ran with it. And we started running to Professor Oak's Lab. I kept telling myself that it'd be all right, that once I got my friends back, everything would be fine. Whatever happened, we'd face it together. I would get my team, and we'd be safe.

I should've known that it wouldn't be that easy.

When we got to the lab, the building was…gone. Just gone. Not even a wrecked and burned foundation like all the other houses. It was just gone. Disintegrated. Burned, frozen, electrified, acided… nothing left but a big patch of ground that didn't have any grass on it.

Tracey was there…but it was too late. His shirt and jeans were lying on the ground, covered in blood and Arceus knows what else. I don't wanna know what happened to him. All I know was that a lump that was too small to be him was being guarded by his old Scyther. All around him were dead Pokemon, and Scyther had this glint in his eye that told us to stay the hell away. He'd gone nuts. No surprise.

We just ran past, May covering Max's eyes. We had to get to Oak's fields, get the Pokemon out of here.

It was carnage in those fields! Every single Pokemon that was in Oak's care was either fighting or dead. I looked around to try and find my team, but all I saw was a Pachirisu electrocuting a Buizel, a Scizor decapitating a Vibrava, a pack of Sneasel beating up on Rhyhorn, Pokemon I didn't recognize killing Pokemon I couldn't see, and it was all a crazy blur and I couldn't focus I couldn't pick out anything…

"DO SOMETHING!" May kept screaming. "GET YOUR POKEMON!"

I CAN'T, MAY! I don't know which ones are mine, I screamed but I don't think anybody heard me, it's all a mess, everybody's killing each other, there too much going on, I can't pick anybody out, oh my god was that Gible, why would he do that...

* * *

"…I can't find my friends, oh no that was Heracross, how do I know they're my friends anymore, everybody's screaming, everybody's crying I'm going deaf they're all coming at me, _I don't know what to do! I don't know what to do! May please stop screaming, I can't hear anything, ! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, MAY! PLEASE STOP SCREAMING! I'M SORRYYYYYY!"_

_Ash! Ash!_

Ash opened his eyes, and as the tears fell away he realized that he was actually still in his prison cell with King Mewtwo and not in the middle of Professor Oak's lab with May. Looking down at his hands, he realized he'd been pulling his hair out. Clumps of it fell out of his fingers as he tried to catch his breath.

"I…I-I-I I'm sorry, I…really thought I was…does this happen normally?"

_To PTSD sufferers? Yes, it does._

Ash took several slow breaths and sat down. "That's…it's nuts, I can't tell the difference sometimes, I…"

_You can…_

"No, I gotta finish this. Please don't…don't ask me to stop…" Ash started to chew on his knuckle again. He caught himself and shook his head clear. "You never…never met Tracey. You'd have liked him. He deserved a lot better than that…where was I?"

_You were in the middle of Professor Oak's field._

"Yeah…yeah we were in the middle of the field. I was just…standing there, screaming. Like I…heh…like I was just doing. I guess we got some attention, because several of them started coming at us. There was a Ledyba, a Spinda, some…electric eel thing, Doduo, Kadabra…

…Musharna (I think that's what they're called), Shuppet, and…well, there was a lot of them attacking us all at once, that's what's important. You know those old movies, showing the army coming down on the heroes? Well, that's what it looked like. And we were scared.

And then they were all around us. We were in the middle of a warzone, herded into a tiny circle like Mareep. We felt so helpless…and then we looked again.

My Pokemon were around us, defending us! I knew it was them, I just did. Infernape looked at me and winked. All my team, all around us, keeping the horde away from us, saving us! For the first time today, I felt kinda safe…but even I could tell they wouldn't last long. They were outnumbered, battered, bruised…I think Sceptiles hand was gone, I saw the blood.

They stopped a lot of attacks, but several still came through. I remember a Signal Beam hitting Max in the chest, so May started shielding him. Razor Leaf cut Brock's arm, a…I don't even know the name of the attack, but it knocked Misty out cold. And then some Psychic attack hit…my head was screaming, everything was spinning even more than before, and then I looked up.

A flock of Spearow and Fearow…I recognized them. From my first day as a trainer. And I think they recognized me, too. They were coming at us fast, beaks and claws at the ready. I turned to Pikachu, but I think he was paralyzed, confused, poisoned…I didn't know that was possible. But he was no condition to fight, and everyone else had their hands full. They just kept coming, ready to peck my eyes out…

But they were intercepted. Another flock attacked them, stopping them in their tracks. Pidgeot, Pidgey, Pidgeotto, Staraptor…The lead Pidgeot landed next to me, and I knew it was mine! One of the first Pokemon I ever caught, back after so long, I couldn't believe it!

But we didn't have time for a reunion. The bigger birds started picking us up, grabbing us. Pidgeot backed into me, it's a little hard to explain, but he got me on his back. Soon we all had a ride.

Bulbasaur yelled something at Pidgeot…I think it was 'Go! Get them out of here!'. Was it? Did…did Kachu tell you?

_Yes. That's what they said._

Oh…oh thank goodness. I thought so…I hoped so. I mean…we took off right after that, and it felt like I was abandoning my friends. It kept going through my head that I was leaving them to die, to save my sorry skin…but I was safe. We were getting out of there. Misty, Brock, May, Max…they were all okay. That was good…at least.

I kinda spaced out…I remember looking back at Pallet Town…my home. All my memories, my life. All the houses were gone. The trees were cut down. The lab…I already told you about the lab. It was all gone. There were pillars of smoke, marking where my neighbours were. My school was gone…everything.

I remember thinking why. Why? WHY? Why would they attack my home? Why would they destroy Pallet Town? Why would they be so cruel to a tiny, cozy little town? Why would they focus on this so violently? Why?

I woke up in a cave in Mt. Moon…I think it was. I couldn't really tell, they all look alike from inside. It was an improvised roost, lot of grass and rocks. Some berries were left out for us, but I wasn't hungry. I just wanted to sit and cry.

When I ran out of tears, I saw that everyone else had cried themselves asleep. I wasn't gonna wake them up. They needed to sleep. It was the first bit of peace any of us got that day. I couldn't sleep, I wasn't tired.

I saw Pidgeot watching us from near the cave. I was so happy to see him, it had been so long. I was too weak to stand up, so I kinda shuffled over. "Hey…thank you, buddy…"

He turned away from me. It surprised me…he was mad at me. He saved me, but he was still mad at me. I didn't get it…and then it hit me.

I promised to come back for it, and I didn't. I promised to see it after I finished the Orange Island Tournament, but…I just…forgot.

Ash's head had settled into his hands, weeping without any tears. It was a few minutes before he looked up, a look of shame covering his features.

"Suh-some friend I am, huh? I just completely forgot to keep my promise to one of my most loyal Pokemon. This…that was the first time I'd seen him in years. I wonder how he felt…when he realized I wasn't coming?"

Mewtwo didn't have anything to say. Ash didn't mind his silence, and looked around the empty cell as he searched for his next few words.

"It's…it's hard, you know? Realizing you're not as good as you thought you were. That you're not such a loyal friend, that you're not as better as your rivals as you figured…it's hard. Do you know…do you know how bad that feels, like…like something's in your gut, something heavy and sickening, th-that won't go away because you KNOW it's _your_ fault?"

_Yes._

Ash gave him a strange look, but eventually sighed. "Yeah…yeah, I guess you do.

Well…I apologized. I really apologized…and I still don't know if he really forgave me. I don't know if I really deserved to be…forgiven for what I did. I mean…would _you _forgive a friend who broke a promise, forgot you, left you behind? But whatever he felt…he offered his services to us, cause the circumstances were so crazy.

There was no question what we'd do. I wasn't the only one with family…Brock, Misty and May were all scared, wanting to know if there family was safe. I wasn't…I wasn't over what happened with my mother, but I wouldn't let them go through what I went through. But I didn't comfort them as much I should've, I was too busy missing my mother…I don't think I even talked to them. Was that selfish? Was that…

_She was your mother. You had every right to be upset._

Well, yeah…but everyone else was upset and…yeah, I shouldn't beat myself up for missing my mother, but I can't help it…I remember their faces, I remember how scared they were. Nobody wanted to talk about it, but we all knew that they might…

Well…when we got to Pewter City, the place was deserted. It was so quiet…It was chilling, right after all the noise at Pallet. I never thought quiet would be scarier than a warzone.

It wasn't as badly hit…there were burn marks here and there, but it looked like whatever fight there was, it was brief. I remember thinking that it wasn't fair. Why did my town have to get hit so hard, while Pewter City was barely scratched? But I wasn't gonna sound selfish…Brock was scared about his family.

The gym was totally destroyed. Buried under a hundred Rock Slides…we didn't recognize it at first. Everything about it was broken to pieces. There was enough of a building to search inside, but thankfully nobody was inside when it went down.

We checked Brock's House next. It was still intact, not even a scratch. Brock checked inside, but his family wasn't there. The place was a mess inside, but it didn't look like there'd been much of a fight. Something had scraped a message into the wall, but I couldn't really read it. I think it said 'Surrender'. Eventually, Brock found a note. I think it said…

_Brock, if you get this, know that your brothers and sisters are safe. I'm not sure what's happening, and I know you're scared. We all were, when they came to our house. They demanded our surrender. They told us we'd be safe if we did. We couldn't fight, so we went with them…_

I dunno, I forget the exact words. It was basically 'We surrendered, we're safe, hope to see you again'.

Brock was relieved, but do you know how I felt? Angry. Jealous. Why did he still have a family? Why did I have to lose my mother, my only family, while he gets to keep his parents and his brothers? Can you…can you believe how selfish that is?

I didn't…say anything of course. I was upset, but I wouldn't…yeah. Our next stop was Cerulean.

It was the same story. The place had been evacuated, but Misty's Sisters were able to leave a phone message for Misty. It didn't get to her, because the cell tower in Pallet had been destroyed, but it was still there.

I don't remember much of Cerulean…I remember it being damper than normal, and that the gym was frozen over, but not much else. No…I remember one other thing.

There was a TV still working, in the middle of the town square. But it wasn't showing any ads or newsreels, no. It was on a loop, playing the same thing over and over. It was a Kirlia - I think she's the service minister now – using one of the newsmen to speak English. I remember what he…she…well, I remember hearing this.

_"Listen to me. Fighting the Revolution will only result in your deaths. You cannot stop this change. Your only choice, if you value the lives of your friends and families, is to surrender. You will be brought to sanctuary, and come to no harm. Relief camps have been established, where you will be kept until peace has been declared. I beg of you to surrender."_

Everybody saw it, and…I think Max was the one to bring it up, but we all started talking.

"Do you think we should?" I remember Brock said. "Just, turn ourselves in? It might be our best bet…and my family is there…"

"I dunno…I don't wanna die, but…should we…"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I felt like they were stabbing me in the back. After all we've been through, after all we've seen, they just wanted to stop? "Give up?" I shouted. "After what they've done? You saw what they did to Pallet, you saw what happened to my mother! NO! I'M NOT SURRENDERING TO THEM!"

"But then, what are we gonna do?" Misty asked.

"I…I don't know. But I am NOT going to give up to the Pokemon who killed my mother! Fat chance!"

* * *

"I wasn't gonna stop." Ash shook his head at Mewtwo. "Oh no. There was no way I was ever gonna surrender. After everything I've done, everything I've worked for, I was never gonna stop, I was never gonna give up. I never gave up before, I wasn't going to now!"

For a second, the determination Mewtwo remembered was on Ash's face. That same proud look in his eye he had when he saved the world, when he went up in a tournament, whenever he had been faced with 'impossible' odds.

In another second, that look disintengrated. "Do you…do you think I should've? Should I…was I just being stupid? Would it have been better if I had given up? Better for everyone if for just…just once in my life…I stopped? Wuh-would it have?"

_I cannot say._

Ash sighed sadly. "I…figures. Guess we'll never know, huh? All I know is…all I knew was, there was no way I was stopping. They all knew that. It was…it was stupid, but they all understood. After everything we've been through, everything we've experienced, why would I stop?

* * *

I looked Pikachu and said that we'd go through this together. I'd said it already, but…I felt it was important. We'd been through everything together, we could go through this. He smiled and nodded and…well, I could tell he was agreeing with me. That he was behind me, all the way, just like always.

But…I didn't have a plan. I should've had some kinda plan, but…all I could think of was, 'not giving up'. I didn't know what else to do.

Nobody argued. I think…I think they should've argued. But…well, like I said, they understood where I was coming from. And…well, to be honest, this 'revolution'…I dunno, I guess what we'd just saw made us a little relaxed. Like this was something we could handle. I mean, Pallet was horrible, but…I dunno, it seemed like we could manage.

And then…there was Viridian.


	10. Ash: part 3

We were flying south, heading towards Hoenn. May wanted to get Max home; she wanted to get him out of Kanto. I guess she figured that Kanto was being attacked the worst, and things would be all right when we got out of the region.

I think we all knew in our guts it wouldn't be all right. Not in Kanto, not in Hoenn, not in Sinnoh...nowhere. But nobody wanted to say anything. Nobody wanted to admit how hopeless we really were.

So we rode Pidgeot's flock, heading south. I don't think they were too happy about it. We'd been flying for a while...I'd forgotten how much fun it was. What it's like to fly. The wind on your face...I actually felt kinda good for a minute.

But then the birds shrieked, and we fell. We must've been shot down by Bullet Seed or something...I remember everybody screaming as the forest came rushing up at us, the leaves and branches blinding me as they caught my fall, and hitting the ground in a heap. It hurt like hell...

I got back up, even though it felt like my body had just broke. Everyone was close by, thank Arceus. They weren't hurt too badly.

The Pidgeot had softened our landing.

Dead. They were all dead. And it was my fault! Our fault! They could've survived the fall if they hadn't been carrying us! If we hadn't...if I...he never forgave me...he never will...

We...we all felt sick. Guilty. But again, we didn't have any time to mourn. We heard a crashing coming towards us, the Pokemon that shot us down. All we could do was run.

We ran blindly, tearing through the forest like the desperate kids we were. Didn't matter that we were so bruised from the falls, every branch hurt like hell. Didn't matter we were leaving the flock for the scavengers. Didn't matter we didn't know where we were at all. We just...ran.

When we figured that nothing was chasing us anymore, we finally stopped and tried to get our breaths back. Hid in an abandoned tunnel by a tree stump. It was damp, smelly, cold, small...

It was too small for all of us, so I volunteered to stand guard outside in the rain. You know, I told myself it was for their sake, but...the truth is, I couldn't face them after what happened. The way they looked at me...they hated me.

_They didn't hate..._

**WELL THEY SHOULD'VE HATED ME!** They all wanted to surrender, but I insisted! I didn't have any plan, any hope, any chance of winning anything, but I wouldn't give up! And now look where we are! We're gonna die, alone and scared, away from our families, because I was stupid and you're my friends! Why don't you just out and say it, May? Just say it! **SAY IT!**

_Ash!_

What? Wha...oh...it happened again...I'm sorry...

Anyway, everyone was asleep inside. Me? I couldn't sleep if I wanted to. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw my mother, I saw my Pokemon, I saw Pidgeot.

I was almost glad it was raining so hard...I could pretend all my tears were just raindrops. If I had any tears...I honestly couldn't tell. It felt so weird.

I must've sat there all night. Grabbed a big stick for protection. Heard every snap of a twig, every splash in a puddle, every sound in the forest. Nothing was close...

Then I heard a small footstep, too close by. Then another one, even closer...

I lost it, kinda. Spun around and swung the stick like a baseball bat. I hit something. It yelped.

"Yow! Hey, hey, easy, easy!"

I recognized the voice in a second. "Meowth?"

"Twoip?" Heh...it was almost a relief to hear his voice. But then I remembered he was a Pokemon.

I grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the tree. "Ok, crook, who's side are you on, huh? What are you doing in the woods? Are you one of them?"

I was holding him pretty tight, but he could still talk. "Hey, hey calm down! I'm not wit Nido!"

"Nido? Who's...?"

"The wacko in charge of this mess! The Nidoking who hijacked the tournament! The revolutionary Chief! I'm not wit him! Put me down!"

He looked scared...terrified. Of me. Was I really that...well, it was pretty nuts, and I didn't know who I could trust...but was I...

A-anyway, the shouting woke everybody else up. I remember Brock clamping a hand over my mouth. "Ash, be quiet! If they hear us..."

I got out of his hand and hissed back, "How do we know this freak hasn't already..."

"I'm not, I'm not, I'm not!" Meowth squeaked. I think he was starting to turn blue...

"Ash, let go! You're hurting him!"

Misty's voice woke me up. I was hurting him...hurting him pretty badly. I was angry, scared, upset...but did that make it right?

I let him go. The guy fell to the ground, gasping for breath. The way he looked at me...the way everybody looked at me...

Why were they looking at me like that? Didn't they get how much trouble we were in? If this guy was a spy, we were dead! Did they just forget what happened in Pallet? It's not like he never tricked us before! And if...if I knew what he was gonna do...

I...I...I...

* * *

Ash suddenly started coughing. It was a dry, hoarse cough. "I...aheeeeugh...I'm sorry, I haven't...my throats really dry..."

Mewtwo sighed. _Do you wish to stop now?_

"No, it's not this, I gotta...I gotta finish...truth is, it's been dry a while...ooog...Could I get a water? Please?"

_Just a water? I can have something brought in..._ Mewtwo suddenly heard a slight growl. _When was the last time you've eaten?_

Ash managed a wry smile. "I, uh...I forget. Heh. I remember rejecting the food at the prison, before...before _he_ came to visit..."

_What do you want? I can get you whatever you want..._

"No, no, I'm not hungry..."

_You're certain?_

Ash was about to repeat himself, but then he saw the look in Mewtwos eyes. He remembered why the king was here...he remembered that as far as knew, he was on Death Row.

"Er...spaghetti. Yeah, I-I like spaghetti. With meatballs...Er...and rice balls. Yeah...and j-just some water. Puh-please."

Mewtwo nodded and made the telepathic order.

"Anyway...the others convinced me to give Meowth a shot. I didn't like it, but... I was outnumbered, I guess. The first thing we noticed was that Jessie and James weren't with him. We asked him, "Where are they?"

* * *

"Dey're safe." that was all he said.

"Then what are you doing here?" May asked.

Meowth said something about wanting to meet with some friends in Viridian. I forget what he said, exactly, but there was something...funny about it. Like there was something he wasn't telling us. He kept looking away from us, like he was guilty about something. I noticed the way he kept biting his claws...he wasn't acting normally at all. I figured he was just scared.

I remember waking up when Brock asked, "Do you know how to get to Viridian? I wanna get out of this forest."

"Me too." everybody moaned.

Meowth nodded. "Yeah...I can show you guys to the city."

I didn't like this, but when I saw their faces, I could tell I wouldn't win any arguments. Everybody wanted out of the woods. Didn't care who took them out. And if they were led into the revolutionaries? I honestly don't think they cared anymore! I couldn't believe them!

But...I guess I was too tired to argue, too. We agreed to start moving when the rain stopped, and everybody went back to sleep.

When everybody wasn't looking, though, I looked Meowth in the eye and something very clear. "If this is a trick...if you get us captured...I promise you, I'm gonna make you pay!"

Pikachu agreed with me, giving off a few sparks. Meowth nodded pretty hard...I think he got the message.

Anyway, the next morning we set off. We trekked through the woods, being careful not to make too much noise. Every time a bird flew overhead or a bug buzzed, we thought it was the revolutionaries hunting us. It was the most nerve-wracking time of my life.

I never took my eyes off Meowth. I didn't trust him for a second. If he was one of them...if he was gonna hand us to Nido...

It took an eternity, but we finally got out of the woods. We were so relieved. We figured we'd get shelter, food, drink once we got to Viridian. Well...I guess a part of us knew it wouldn't be untouched, but...I dunno, it just represented some hope we really needed. But we weren't...we didn't think it'd be...

You know what the first thing we saw was?

Hung up outside the gates, stuck on a pole like a scarecrow, was a kid that couldn't have been older than me! I thought it was Ritchie for a second, but he had dark brown hair. His legs were...gone, and his face was burned, just like my mother. Strung around his neck was a belt, with six broken Pokeballs dangling on it. And written in...blood behind him...I'll never forget what that sign said...

**LOOK WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO OPPOSE NIDO THE GREAT!**

I...I...my stomach wasn't feeling too good before, but now it was churning like I was in the middle of a hurricane. He...he was MY age! A kid! How could they...how could they do this to a little kid? What did he ever do?

Everybody felt sick looking at that poor kid...Max had his eyes clamped shut, May was trying not to scream, Brock was vomiting and...Well, you get the idea. Meowth and Misty were just as horrified, but I didn't really see their reactions. I heard somebody retch behind me.

Pikachu couldn't take his eyes off that kid. I've never seen him look so horrified before. His jaw dropped, his eyes never seemed to close, and he was shivering like a blizzard was blowing past. Even when I got myself to walk past the kid, he just kept looking back at it...

It wasn't any better in the city. There was death everywhere...trainers and Pokemon alike. Even Pallet was better than this...kids, adults, baby Pokemon, huge creatures...they were all scattered through the streets. Mauled, burned, frozen, fried...all dead. I couldn't tell the revolutionaries from the citizens. It was all just a big...

I...I don't know how to describe it...I don't want to describe it! Don't ask me...just don't. It's not worth going over...it was horrible, that's all you need to know.

_I know._

Good, cause...cause I...

We just wandered through the streets, shocked out of our minds. It was...well, it's hard to explain. I just kept swinging from disgust, anger, fear, sad...like I couldn't make up my mind. I didn't sleep, I barely ate. I felt...hollow. Does that make any sense?

_Yes._

Thanks...

The days kinda blended together...well, they'd been blending together for a while. I have no idea how long it'd been since the stadium blew up. But anyway, I remember the day Pikachu...the...last day we were in the city.

Meowth was pulling us forward, telling us his 'friends' were on the other end of the city. Pikachu was walking by him...I thought he was just keeping an eye on the cat, but now that I think about it...they were talking. Whispering. I can't believe I didn't notice...I should've noticed...I guess I just figured Pikachu had my back, and I could trust him.

But then we ran into this Sneasel...

Oh yeah...I forgot. There were Pokemon going through the wreckage. I think they were looking for survivors, or just loot. Or...ugh, I remember this Hitmontop pummelling his trainer's corpse, laughing the whole time. I remember thinking...what could that trainer have done to get such hate?

Anyway, they'd never noticed us before...we kept quiet, and a lot of them weren't looking too hard. City was already destroyed, what was there to look for? But then this Sneasel showed up, and...

I dunno. It pointed at us and growled something...Pokespeak. It sounded threatening, so I figured it was something like 'Stop there, or I'll freeze you to death!'

Meowth didn't say anything, but Pikachu stepped forward, saying 'No you won't! These are my friends, and I won't let you hurt them!' or something like that, and then...

* * *

Ash blinked. Mewtwo's expression had become faraway again. Like there was something he knew that he wasn't telling.

The boy sighed, slumping in his seat. "That wasn't what he said at all, was it?"

Mewtwo hesitated for a moment, but eventually shook his head. _No._

"Figures." Ash sourly groaned. "What did he say?"

* * *

The Sneasel looked at the humans in front of him and hissed."Well, well. Looks like some trainers took a wrong turn." The ice Pokemon readied his claws, brandishing them menacingly at the young humans too exhausted to flee. "Bout time I had some action. Five trainers and a few loyalists, to boot. This'll be fun..."

Thinking fast, Pikachu stepped forward. The words tumbled out of his mouth before he even realized he said them. "Back off! These are MY prisoners! If you so much as lay a claw on them, Nido will have your head!" he snarled, looking as threatening as he possibly could. Meowth was caught off guard by just how assertive he sounded.

The sharp claw Pokemon sneered. "Heh. Tough talk, for a little mouse."

Pikachu didn't flinch, staring the other Pokemon down and sparking his cheeks in warning. "I've faced stronger than you, ice rat. I've brought down Pokemon far tougher than you will ever be. I've killed plenty of them. Nido respects my strength, and you should too."

Sneasel laughed. "A friend of Nido? Please. What makes you think you're so important?" he acted smug, but the longer he looked the electric mouse in the eye, the less certain he was of his chances in a fight.

The Sneasel eventually just shrugged. "Fine. Whatever. These brats wouldn't be worth the trouble. Keep your prisoners." The ice Pokemon started to walk off, and the group, relieved that the revolutionary wouldn't attack them, began to walk in the opposite direction...

Back in the prison cell, Ash let out an angry sigh. "He lied to me..."

_Ash, Pikachu was bluffing. He could tell that the Sneasel would only listen to a fellow revolutionary..._

"That's not what I..." Ash placed his hand over his eye. "I can't believe he'd say that! Friends don't lie about their friends...right? Was he even lying at that point? Was he my friend at that point?" his expression started to become tense again, as his teeth began to grind and his eyes narrowed. "That...that was the day he...he..."

Mewtwo stopped him before he had another outburst. _Ash...there's something else you should be aware of..._

The Sneasel had only walked a few paces before it turned around. "Gotta say though...six prisoners? Must be hell to keep them corralled, by yourself."

Pikachu groaned inwardly, not wanting to continue the conversation. u"I manage."/u He growled without turning around. Meowth tensed at the fact that he'd been counted as a prisoner, but didn't say anything.

The revolutionary chuckled. "Heh. I bet you're looking forward to turning 'em over to Nido tomorrow. A haul like that, that'll impress him."

Pikachu's eyes went wide. "Tomorrow?" he squeaked in a strangled voice.

"You didn't know? Nido's coming through here. He's been tearing the Kanto region apart with his elite...I think he's looking for something. He's gonna be here tomorrow, last I heard. Rip this place to shreds...again. Heh. Anyway, better scoot. Ciao."

With that, the Sneasel scuttled off to loot the rest of the city, leaving a terrified Pikachu and Meowth with their oblivious trainers...

Ash blinked, a guilty look slowly taking over his angry eyes. "Suh...suh-seriously? N-n-Nido was coming the next day?"

_Yes._

Ash shook his head, trying desperately to stay angry. "N-no...he had to be...that's just... He told you that, huh? He's lied before, hasn't he? He could've just...he could've just made that up to feel less guilty..."

_No. Nido did tear apart Viridian City the day after that encounter. I spoke to that Sneasel, and he had no reason to lie._

Ash processed that for a minute, going over it with his head. "Is...Is that why...he...he did it?

Is that why my best friend betrayed me that night?"


	11. Ash: part 4

Well...after the Sneasel thing, we kinda relaxed. Pikachu had just saved our necks...we'd be okay. Then we realized how hungry we actually were. Brock offered to cook us some of his soup. But...well, he'd left all his cooking supplies behind in the chaos. We'd have to get some ingredients from the town.

We found a restaurant, but the place was half-collapsed. The way in was way too small for any of us to squeeze through. Except for Pikachu and Meowth, of course. We thought about looking for another place, but almost all the buildings were leveled, and it was getting late.

Meowth volunteered to go, but...I still didn't trust him. If he went in, he'd be out of our sight. He could've slipped away to contact the revolutionaries, turn us in.

Pikachu was...he was awfully quiet. I should've noticed it sooner. Friends are supposed to notice stuff like that. I should've known...known what he was thinking.

But anyway, he stepped forward. Said...well, motioned really...that he'd go in. Get the stuff we needed for the soup.

He saw an oppurtunity to...get away from us...

Er...well, I asked him about it, but he was certain. Smiled at me, like he was saying, 'I'll be alright. Don't you worry about me.' I trusted him...

Brock gave him a list of everything he'd need for the soup. Pikachu grabbed it, and told us through Meowth that he might take a while.

And he did. After he slipped through the entrance, we were waiting for what felt like hours. I started getting scared, kept thinking about all the horrible things that might've happened. Maybe he'd been captured, maybe he'd been hurt, maybe he'd been killed! How could I let that happen to my friend?

But then he returned, carrying all the things we needed. We were so relieved to see him. Especially me...I couldn't think about losing another friend. I gave him a big hug when I saw him alive and ok.

We found a secluded spot, far enough away from the...the mess in the town. Feeling kinda safe, Brock started making us soup. He put everything in the pan, started a fire.

I never took my eyes of Meowth. I figured he'd wait until a time like this to...well, I made sure he kept well away from the pot.

Then I heard something rustling in the bushes nearby. You can bet that made me jump. We all looked over there, ready to hurt our stalker.

We didn't see anything. Figured it was the wind. Geez, we were really jumpy, huh? We needed to eat.

We all sat down around an improvised table, just like the good old days. When we were traveling through the region, collecting badges and ribbons, making friends and memories, befriending Pokemon instead of running from them. We talked like those days would come again.

When the soup was ready, we...well, ate it. Brock's soup was always delicious, and this wasn't different. I felt...good. I remember that I felt...relaxed all of a sudden. Safe. I...I dunno. My eyes got heavy...figured all the nights I'd stayed up were getting to me. So I told Brock to keep watch for me, and I stumbled to someplace comfy. I dunno if I made it...

You know, it's funny. I'd forgotten how nice it was to just...close your eyes. Go dead to the world. Can you believe that? I'd forgotten what sleep was like! Insane, huh? I hadn't slept since...since the escape from Pallet. I dreamed again. I dreamed of the old days. I ...forget the details, but I remember waking up thinking that 'that was the best dream I've ever had'.

Then I opened my eyes.

I was in a completely different place. The second I realized this wasn't where we'd been hiding, I bolted up like you wouldn't believe.

I spun around, trying to figure out where the heck I was. It was a small room, big enough for two people. Not a whole lot of stuff in there...couple of chairs, a bathroom to the right, a small round window. I'd been sleeping on the bottom bunk of a bunk bed. Misty was sleeping on the top bunk.

For a second, I thought...well, hoped that the guys had just dragged me to a more comfy place. A hotel that was still standing, or something like that. I walked up to the window, figuring I'd see Viridian. Huh...you know, I think that butchered place would've been a better sight than what I saw outside.

I saw the city, alright. Miles away, just across the ocean.

My mind raced. How did I get on a boat? What happened while I was out? Where we we going?

And where was everybody else? The only other person there was Misty. I didn't see Brock, or May, or May, or Meowth, or...

**"Pikachu!"** I was really starting to panic. I searched the room, but my friend wasn't here. Misty woke up...I guess my screaming woke her up.

"Ash...Whuh-what? What's going on?"

"I don't know! Where are we? Where is everybody?" I finally found the door, but when I tried to open it, it was locked from the outside. I banged and banged, but it wouldn't budge.

I kept chanting to myself, _no no no this can't be happening, where am I?_

I got my answer. A voice came on over the ships intercom.

"Prisoner in room 25. You are disturbing other prisoners. If don't be quiet, you be punished."

My throat went completely dry. _Prisoners?_ Misty was as shocked as I was. How could this happen?

That's when I started putting the pieces together. I'm not as stupid as people think I am. The way I'd fallen asleep after the soup...somebody had drugged me.

"Meowth." I figured. "_He_ did this! He turned us over to Nido! He...must've put sleeping powder in the soup, then ...I should've known!" I think I was spitting, I was so mad.

Misty agreed with me, she was pretty upset too...not as much as I thought she should've be, though. I didn't get why, but I was too angry at myself to really notice.

I can't believe I was so stupid! I should've known that crook would pull something like this! I KNEW he'd pull something like this! That was why I...I...

But then I realized something. I'd been watching Meowth the whole time. There was no way he could've spiked the drink. I was watching him too close.

But then, who put the sleep powder in the soup?

Brock made the soup, but...he'd never do this. Right? And I recalled seeing him drink it with us. Why would he drug himself?

The...whoever it was, he'd need to coordinate with whoever was piloting this ship. And since I really didn't think that a prison ship would be run by humans, it would somebody fluent in Pokespeak. And who had the time to organize a meeting like...

It took a while to click, but when it did, it clicked hard.

"No..."

What had they been whispering about?

"Nuh-no..."

Getting food supplies shouldn't have took so long, and he was out of our sight...

"He wouldn't...he...not after everything..."

He was helping Brock with the soup. And when we turned around from that false alarm, he was hopping off the stove...

"No..."

Pikachu did this. He met with the smugglers (I figured the revolutionaries then). He snuck the sleeping powder in with the supplies. He had us shipped into the prisoner camp.

"NO!"

"Ash, what...?"

"I CAN'T...HOW COULD HE DO THIS! AFTER EVERYTHING WE'VE DONE, EVERYTHING WE'VE BEEN THROUGH, HOW COULD HE DO THIS?"

"Ash..."

"Prisoner in room 25!"

"TH-THAT TRAITOR! I TRUSTED HIM, AND HE...! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE HIM FOR THIS! THAT...THAT MISERABLE LITTLE-"

_Ash!_

Oh...oh...sorry...

I can't...well, you can tell I was upset. I was furious. I felt like my heart had been ripped out. I just wanted to scream, but...well...

I started banging on the door, crying. I was really getting worked up, but then the door suddenly opened and two scaly hands grabbed both my wrists.

**"SHUT UP!"**

The Captain...well, right now I just knew him as a very angry Feraligatr...he slammed me against the cabin wall. Brought his jaws right up to my face.

"BE. QUIET." he growled.

I was still kinda out of it. "B-but he betrayed me..." I blubbered.

"Whiny little punk like you? Not surprised. But if you're gonna wake every kid here with your wailing, you're gonna be punished."

I snorted, trying to look tough. "H-how could you make this w-worse?"

He grabbed me by throat now, so I couldn't talk. "You'd be surprised at how worse I can make it. Now be quiet."

I could tell he was serious, so I just nodded. I didn't wanna know how this could possibly get worse. He just let me go. I dropped to the floor like a discarded toy, hiccuping for breath. Misty ran up next to me, making sure I was okay.

The Feraligatr growled again. "Right. Let me make this clear. I do not care what you do after sundown, but you do it quietly. The others want to sleep. Do you understand me?"

We both just nodded.

"Good." he seemed satisfied, and left the room. Locked the door, walked away.

I just sobbed. Quietly. I just sat there and cried all night.

* * *

The meal had finally arrived. Ash was very hungry, but he couldn't get himself to eat very fast. He just picked at the food, taking few small bites at a time.

"You know...I keep thinking about how Feraligatr looked at me. Like he thought I was...overreacting. Whining. Like I...heh, like I should've been GRATEFUL."

The boy blinked away his anger. "Sh-should I have been grateful?"

_Ash, Pikachu did what he did to protect you. He feared you would be killed, just like that other boy. He thought that you would be safe._

"I know, I know, I know..." Ash sighed, rubbing his head gently. "I got that. Even back then I got that.

But it's more than that. All those years we've traveled together? All those adventures we've had? We'd never given up before. We never just rolled over and let the bad guys win just because we were scared. We never surrendered.

I never wanted to surrender. He knew that, and he still...did all our adventures mean nothing now? All our wins? Everything we fought for? Was it all pointless? Why couldnt we fight...was my life really that valuable? Was it worth letting Nido win without any struggle, just so we could survive?

And here's the thing." Ash held up his finger. "Here's the thing. I could've accepted it. I could've. I got it. I really did. I could've...forgiven him...if he was with me! If he just...just owned up what he did to my face, right then and there, I would've forgiven him!"

Tears began streaming from his eyes. "Fuh-friends protect their friends. Fine. Friends sometimes do things their friends don't like, for their own good. Fine. Friends do NOT shove their friends away on the pretext that they'll be safer, and then...never talk to them! Never check up on them! Never explain themselves, never say they're sorry..." Ash hesitated for a second, wiping away his tears. "...until it's too late for them to be sorry."

Mewtwo didn't say anything. There was nothing he could say. He simply allowed the boy to regain his breath. Ash gulped, sniffled, did everything in his power not to burst out crying and only barely succeeding.

He finally caught his breath. "Do you...do you think I was...you know, I've seen the Captain's look on a lot of people. Every time I told someone about the ship, they'd look at me like I should've been happy that Pikachu dropped me off there."

Mewtwo nodded. _Many of the humans felt that the SS Leonard was the best of the relief camps._

"Heh. Yeah, I got that too...

A cruise ship. A cruise ship acting as a prison! Unbelievable, huh? Then again, I guess it wasn't supposed to be a permanent camp...I think the dock they were supposed to land in was attacked or something.

Anyway, despite the Captain's strict rules, it was almost comfy on the ship. The beds were actual beds, the bathrooms worked great, and the food wasn't half bad. It actually got better when Brock got himself on the kitchen crew. There was a library we'd visit, a lounge with games, even an old movie projector. It was all under constant supervision, of course. That Feraligatr's crew never took their eyes off us. But it was almost...well, it was okay.

It was kinda...annoying, actually. I know it sounds weird, but it really, really bothered me. I guess I wanted to be angry, but in the back of my mind was a voice telling me that I shouldn't be angry. That right now, countless people were worse off than me. That I was pretty well off...that WE were pretty well off.

But we were still prisoners, and our warden was NOT a nice one.

In some of those library books, I read a lot about sea captains in the old days. Pretty nasty stuff...I guess they figured beating people up was the solution to every problem. The Captain must've read those books. I saw a lot of people there with bruises and black eyes. He'd hurt anyone who broke his rules.

And there were a LOT of rules. He never let us go outside, or even open the windows all the way. We only got so much food at lunch, no more or less. Nobody could go out of their rooms after sundown. Any problems, like seasickness, were taken up with the ship's medic, and he only...he...

I...I...then...I...

I'm sorry, I just...you know, for a while I figured it couldn't get worse. Famous last words, huh? I mean...my mother was dead, my Pokemon were dead, my best friend stabbed me in the back, and now I couldn't do anything but sit out the war. I could've...I thought I could...

I better just spill it now. Otherwise...

Okay so, I kept quiet for the first few days. Didn't get into any trouble with the captain, but I kept my eyes open for an exit. Some way to escape. I wasn't gonna be a prisoner for the rest of my life. I wasn't gonna give up. That's...good right? At least I thought it was.

And then...

It was a normal day at first. Woke up, had breakfast, got moved around, kept searching for a way out. Then it was lunchtime. It was just sandwiches for lunch. I had a PB&J, I remember that. I had just finished when the Captain burst into the hallway. He looked furious.

**"WHO STOLE FROM THE MEDICINE LOCKER?"** he roared. The whole room went quiet. Everybody knew about the Captain's temper, and what he did when he got angry. Of course nobody was gonna speak up.

I remember thinking, _who'd steal medicine? What's wrong with that? It was probably some kid who needed more for his seasickness. Why is this such a big deal? Because someone broke his precious rules?_

He must've realized yelling wouldn't get the guilty guy to stand up, so he started pacing. Looking everybody over, like a...like a Luxray looking for a weak Stantler. I guess he figured he could sniff the thief out.

I noticed one of the kids. He was shivering like a leaf, scared out of his mind. And I thought, of course he's scared of the captain. We've all heard about him. He looked pretty thin too...real small. Didn't look like he could take the Captain's punishment. But the way he was shaking, that Feraligatr would think he was the one who stole from him.

And that brutal captain was coming right up to him. I kept seeing the poor kid being broken in two by that brute...

Without thinking, I just stood up and said "It was me."

The Captain looked surprised, but he didn't stay still for long. His claws grabbed me by the collar of my shirt, and I got dragged off before anyone could respond.

The next stop was...I dunno, I guess it was a broom closet that was being reused as an interrogation room. Lot less roomy than this place, though. Heh…

He patted me down...well, 'patted' isn't a good word for it. When he realized I didn't have the stuff in my pockets, he shoved me into a wooden chair, like my...like parents do when their kid is misbehaving. A Parasect sitting on the back kept me from moving my arms as the Feraligatr growled in my face. I could smell the meal he'd been eating. Garlic.

"Where is it?" he snarled.

I smirked. "Where's what?"

That was a bad idea. He backhanded me...it hurt like hell. Like he could take my head off with one hit but was trying not to. "Don't play stupid, kid." he was getting even more irritated. "The drugs you stole. Where are they?"

I bit my lip, trying not to cry. I'd never been hit like that in my life...nothing had ever hurt like that slap. But I didn't wanna let him now I was hurt...wanted to look tough. I could take it...not like that other kid.

"Yuh can't..." I was surprised by how numb half my jaw had gone. "ake me ell you by hitting me."

"Worked fine for my old Captain." Feraligatr snorted. "Now where the hell are the drugs you stole? If you dont have them, who does? Tell me **NOW**!"

For some stupid reason, I still wanted to be tough. Besides, if I told him the truth, he'd get even angrier. I didn't say anything. I just thought about the kid I was saving from this.

The Captain snorted. "You wanna play mute?" he asked. "Fine." He gestured to a couple of his henchmen, and they left us alone in the room.

He grabbed me by the shirt collar and snarled right in my face. "For your sake, they'd better find it in your cabin, you little wretch! If I don't have that box back immediately, there's gonna be hell to pay!"

"What's so special about this box?" I demanded. The second I did, his expression got even madder and I realized I'd said the wrong thing.

"For one thing, it ain't a box."

Then he punched me right in the stomach. Real hard, like a sledgehammer. I could've sworn something broke inside, and I just doubled over in pain. I fell to the floor, groaning like a wounded animal.

The Captain barged out the door, his Parasect pal leaving me alone. I heard him yell, "Forget the kid's room! It ain't him, stupid brat! Find that damn bottle, search everybody if you have to! We don't have a lot of time!" and then he ran off.

Lying there, trying not to cry in pain, I kept telling myself it was worth it. Even then, I knew it wasn't really true. But I just figured that damn Captain would just rough up the real culprit. I had no idea...

I don't know how long I was in the room. I remember crawling towards the door to find it locked. This Captain was nuts about security. Since when did you need to lock a broom closet? Anyway, it felt like an eternity before the captain came back. I had only just recovered enough to stand up when I heard the lock rattling. I hoped it was my friends, come to rescue me, but it was the captain. He was still angry, but...it was a different kind of angry. I dunno, I can't really explain. Like something had gone very wrong.

"What were you trying to do?" He demanded. "Protect that thief? Why? What good could that possibly do?"

It was difficult to talk, but I managed to gasp out an answer. "Keep...you...from...hurting..."

"Keep me from _hurting_ him? Like a good Samaritan? Do you have any idea WHY he took them?"

I really didn't, but before I could say that, he told me.

"He killed himself."

That hit me harder than any of his attacks. Those three words...struck me right where it hurt. I tried to save him from the captain, and he...

"Killed himself? I...I didn't know, I..."

He looked at me like I was an ignorant kid. "You didn't know? That he was planning to do that, or that a lot of drugs at once could kill a guy?"

I didn't have an answer for him.

The Captain kept...gesturing. You know, like how an angry person in the movies moves. "If I hadn't been wasting my time with you... " he growled. "I could've found him, gotten the medicine back, knocked some damn sense into him! But since you oh-so-heroically took the fall for that..." he kept clutching his head and clamping his eyes shut, like he was angry at himself as well as me.

I thought about saying something like 'he did it to get away from you', but I...I couldn't get myself to say that. I was just...reeling. Killed himself? People don't...people don't DO that! Do they?

Please don't answer. I don't wanna know.

Then we arrived at my...Er, I guess I was so stunned I didn't notice getting to my cabin. But anyway, the next thing I remember was standing inside the doorway of my cabin.

Not really thinking, I breathed out "Why?"

The Captain produced a piece of paper. "Left a note for his little brother. Have a look." He talked with...I could hear the contempt in his voice. Not for me, but for the guy who wrote that note. He shoved the note in my hand and locked me back in my room. Misty was there, she asked me if I was okay. I couldn't answer her.

I didn't sleep that night. I just read the note. It was...I...I can't really describe in one word.

It was depressing, of course. I mean, it was someone's last words to their family. It think it went something like...like...um, _"I'm sorry bro, but I can't take this anymore. I can see what the future's gonna hold, and it's not a world I want to live in. All my hopes and dreams have been completely crushed before I could even grasp them. I'll have nothing but regrets if I keep living. I simply cannot go through it. Tell mom and dad I'm sorry."_

Something like that, yeah...

You know, at first I felt like I was reading my own handwriting. Like this boy was...me. I understood him, I got why he thought...why he thought it was hopeless. Why he thought it was the only way out.

But then I took a step back. He hadn't lost half of what I did. He had a little brother. And his mom and dad were still alive. He was leaving them all behind. They would be heartbroken. His brother...How could he do this to them? Killing himself, just because he couldn't be a. ..I don't know, a Pokemon Master, a top Coordinator, someone important?

For ten minutes, I understood the Captains contempt.

But then I felt horrible for thinking that. This was so sad, upsetting, enraging, depressing, pointless, pathetic, heartbreaking, hopeless, sorry, understandable, stupid, sad, all at the same time.

I looked every day afterward, but I never saw that scared kid again. And I never found out his name.

There was a long pause, with Ash picking at his food with the most downcast face imaginable. His eyes were dead, not really looking at anything. Only a few drops of tears were left in his eyes.

It took a moment for him to talk again. "You know...you haven't r-really said anything. Isn't it...isn't it kinda rude to k-keep the king like this? You must b-be late for something by now...got better thing to do than listen to me whine..."

Mewtwo shook his head. _No. You need to vent, and there is nothing going on that cannot be handled without me._

Ash sighed. "Thanks. R-really, thanks."

_I do have a question, though. You don't speak very much of your friends. I find it difficult to believe that you had such little contact with each other._

The boy shrugged. "Well...no. We talked, but...I mean, what could we talk about? The good old days? Our friendship? Family? The weather? Our future? Sometimes we saw fighting right outside the windows. One revolutionary group attacked the ship, but the Captain drove them off."

Ash rubbed his face dry of tears. "I remember Max's birthday. The day he was supposed to get his first Pokemon. There weren't any came supplies on the ship - I think we were running low on rations, period - so for lunch, we dumped chocolate pudding on a loaf of bread. No fires onboard the ship, so we just stuck pencils into it. Max blew on em anyway...heh...May said he was a real trooper..." Ash's head fell into his hands.

It took another second for him to speak again. "After the...thing with the medicine, I just stopped. Stopped trying to escape, stopped sleeping, stopped talking, I just...stopped.

What was there to say? To do? It was over. I went through every day like a sleepwalking zombie. The only thing that kept me going was...I promised myself I wouldn't do what that kid did. That would be...that was the worst kind of giving up.

Day after day passed. Nothing happened...or if anything happened, I didn't notice. I'm sorry, but my days were spent in this fog.

I never slept. I just couldn't sleep. I tried, but...I'd just stare at the ceiling, thinking. Thinking 'why'?

Why would the Pokemon, after so many years of peace, just...turn on us like this? Why would they wage war on people they'd fought alongside for years? What was the justification?

Then I thought about people like Paul. Damien. Team Rocket...their nastier members, anyway. Trainers who abused Pokemon, just because they could. There'd always been people like that, and honestly, there always would be. Did they fight to end this abuse? I saw how Chimchar was hurt by Paul...I could get why he'd want to make that jerk eat his own words.

But did that justify this? What about trainers like...like Cynthia, or Ritchie, or...or any of my other friends? The ones who treated their Pokemon with kindness? Compassion? Like...like friends? It wasn't as if trainers like Paul were the norm. Was it really worth hurting, killing people like m-my mom to get back at some bullies?

But then I started wondering about the Pokemon that get captured in the wild. Did they have families? Dreams of their own? Dreams that have nothing to do with battles and contests? You know, half the time I was trying to tell Paul that Pokemon had feelings, that they were individuals just like us, n-not tools for battling. But if that was true, then...it'd make sense that there'd be some who d-didnt actually wanna be trained.

But what about my Pokemon? Was our friendship just...imagined on my part? Did they really resent me for taking them from their homes and...and forcing them to...Was everything I had with them a hollow lie? Were they just traveling with me because of...obli-obligation? Because I caught them? Did I ever think of that?

But some of them were caught willingly. What about them? They wanted to be trained. Did the revolutionaries think that maybe there were SOME Pokemon who liked being with trainers? Did...did they ever think if that?

But is something right just because it's been going on for years? What if there really something wrong with...with capturing random creatures and forcing them to fight each other so you can get some glory? Geez, when you think about it like that OF COURSE THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THAT!" Ash was starting to get increasingly flustered. "Only somebody kidding himself would say that that is fine!

So was I kidding myself? Claiming to be a friend, when really I wasn't any better than those bullies? Lying to myself because I didn't want to face the fact that what I was doing was horrible?

But what about back at the lab? My Pokemon had to know that there was a war going on. They had to know they could just k-kill me and be free, but instead they get themselves killed to save me! Why would they do that? Why?" Ash's hands started to pull out his hair.

_Ash!_

"And if training WAS something horrible, if it really did separate friends and family, if the best thing the world could do was get rid of it, am I supposed to be on the Revolutionaries side? THEY KILLED MY MOTHER!" He screamed, tears bursting from his eyes. "I can't just forget that! I can't forget what they did!

But were they right? Were they wrong? Are they really evil? Was I evil, and just kidding myself? Was my Pokemon's loyalty real, or was it...what's the word, stockhome? Were they just saving me out of obligation? Did Pikachu s-save me because he...did he even save me? Should I be grateful? Accept this? Fight it? How? WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO THINK?"

Ash collapsed his head into his hands, clutching it like was afraid it would fly off. He just sat there sobbing for minute, and when Mewtwo put his hand on the boys shoulder, he didn't shove it off.

Eventually, Ash looked up again. "The more I thought about it, the more my head hurt." he sighed. "So...I thought about something else."

_What did you think about?_

"Me." Ash chuckled bitterly. "I thought about all the things I've done. All the things I've seen. All I've accomplished. At first, it was comforting. All the good memories. My gym badges, all the people I helped, the time I saved the world...it almost made me feel better.

But then I started thinking about my dream. My lifelong goal. How close did I get? Seriously? I thought of every dumb decision, every stupid idea, every loss. I never even came close!"

_You were young..._

"But kids younger than me were becoming regional champs, while I was lucky to get into the Top 4! Freaking Paul, and you know how I fell about THAT jerk's tactics, was better in one year than I was in three!

You know, everybody kept telling me I'd be a champ someday. Someday, in the far off future. But that would never happen now. All I could think about was everything I did wrong. Everything I could've done right.

The more I thought about it...I was never a good trainer. Even if trainers were...you know, I wasn't even a good one. I was lazy, immature, stupid, stubborn, never learned from my mistakes, never got any ambition, always used friendship to hide the fact that I was just WEAK!"

_Ash..._

"Don-don't tell me otherwise! I mean... If I had gotten a stinking clue, I might've won something that...th-that mattered to me. I could've won a long time ago. But no. Paul was right. I am pathetic."

_Ash, that..._

"YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE! I know what you're looking at! What everybody looked at when they saw me! I-I saw it in their eyes, 'look at that stupid little kid who never had the drive to get his dream, and now he's upset because he can't get it anymore and what's he doing now? Nothing! Worlds ending, and he can't do anything about it! Some kid kills himself, and he helps! His friend stabs him in the back, and he cant even bring himself to...Like the spineless, miserable weakling he...he...'"

Ash collapsed into another fit of hysterical sobbing.

Mewtwo couldn't believe what he was seeing before him. He couldn't believe this was the same boy who leapt between him and Mew. He couldn't believe that this was the same Ash who saved him from Giovanni. This COULDNT be the same person. But it was.

His eyes glanced at the doctors report. He'd almost scoffed at it earlier, but it rang all too true now. _"...survivors guilt, combined with a inability to reconcile his happy memories with the implications raised by the revolution, as well as his inability to act onboard the SS Leonard, has resulted in a self-loathing complex. He hates himself but cannot grasp how he can, so he projects his feelings onto others, believing them to be feeling antipathy or contempt for him. Interviews with his friends indicate he distanced himself from them after the medicine incident, pushing them away when they tried to help. To quote Misty Williams, 'It was like he was too scared or too ashamed to talk to us. When I talked to him, he seemed to be bracing himself for...I dunno, it's like he expected me to yell at him. Why would I do that, after everything?'"_

_Why indeed._ Mewtwo sighed inwardly.

Ash finally stopped crying. He spent a few moments just trying to get his breath back. "Look at me. Just...just look at me." he sobbed. "Don't tell me you're...you're not dissa...pi..."

As the boy stammered, Mewtwo felt something wet on his eye. Tears. This boy who once saved his life, this confident child who saved the world with no regard for himself, reduced to a self-hating mess who had nowhere to go. And Mewtwo understood exactly how he felt. His mind went back to his own experiences in the war. Not what he did, but what he didn't do.

_I could've stopped this. Even if I couldn't, I could've saved him. I called myself the strongest Pokemon in the world, I could've helped him so easily. Why didn't I? If I did, would things have turned out differently? I'll be asking myself that question for the rest of my life._

The boy gulped back his tears. He noticed the look on the usually stoic king's face. "D-don't feel bad for me." he demanded, almost angrily. "I...I...You wanna know something really, really sick?

The day I killed that official was the best day I had since the boat."


	12. Ash: part 5

Before Mewtwo could respond, Ash started to talk again. "I'm not j-joking. When I...I...ok, lemme just...explain.

When I finally got off that ship, the war was over and everybody was talking about this new era. Peace, hope, recuperation and all that stuff. I saw your coronation on a TV somewhere.

I can't really tell you how I felt when I heard you'd be in charge. My head was so messed up I couldn't figure out how I felt. Besides, it's not important. It's not like there was anything I could do about it." the boy shrugged sadly. "Like there was anything I could do, period.

Kachu seemed decent...you know, it's funny. I knew who Kat was, but...I never made the connection at first. Stupid, huh? Or maybe I just didn't want to get it. I remember thinking they were really silly names...don't tell them that, please?

I was...I was gonna give this 'new era' a shot. I really was. I swear. But...heh, I don't need to tell you that that didn't go too well."

Mewtwo nodded, looking back down at the report. _You separated yourself from your friends, once you had disembarked. You then bounced around from job to job, and had a few run-ins with the police for loud outbursts. Never anything serious, until..._

"The movie premiere." Ash finished. His eyes became faraway again, as he remembered that fateful day.

"I was down on my last dime from my last job...you know, I can't remember what it was. I remember I got fired for talking too much about the old days. But I don't think that was entirely it...

Anyway, I was wandering around Slateport City, not sure where to go. I'd heard that there was this new movie coming out, and everybody was going to the theatre. Well, I thought, might as well stop by. What else was there to do? Kinda dumb, now that I think about it. But hey, a movie's always fun. Most of the time...

On my way to the theatre, I saw a bunch of movie posters and they...irked me. I didn't know why, so I took another look. Lemme know if you've seen any of these...

_'Ruby: The terrifying true story of a captured Scyther.'_

_'The Revenge of the Trainers'._ I think that one was being taken down.

_'The rise of the Revolution.'_

_'Paul.'_ Yeah! They made a movie about Paul! Why would they make a movie about that...oh yeah. Er, anyway...

_'Great Hero Tyranitar faces against Pokemon Slave Ring! Take Down the Villainous Champion!'_

_I saw that one. Pure schlock._

Yeah, stuff like that. It took me a second to figure out what was bugging me. The bad guys in all the movies were humans. I don't think I saw a single human hero there, or even just one in a positive light. They were always looming in the background, looking all menacing and scary. The Paul movie? He was framed and shadowed like he was Satan himself. Course, I'm just going by the posters, but...it was still there.

Actually...how the heck did they make so many movies so fast? It couldn't have been a year since the fighting had stopped.

_They rushed production. Some of those movies were made in a day. The only one I saw with any sort of budget or production value was 'Paul', and that was because Nido was backing it. And it was still terrible. An hour and a half of Nido's revenge fantasy._

Geez, you'd think killing him would be enough.

_Not for Nido._

Yeah...anyway, I finally got to the theatre. There was a big crowd, waiting to see this new movie. Plenty of Pokemon, but also a lot of people. I didn't get why. They all looked miserable, like they'd rather be somewhere else. I guess their bosses dragged them along, or this was the only entertainment in town since the contest hall was destroyed.

The movie was called...er..."Lies and Slavery, the...true...story about...training...""

Ash's entire body tensed up and the memory came back. His fists clenched as he remembered his fury and frustration that day.

"'L-learn from witness statements and inter-interviews the terrible reality of the time before the rev-the rev-the revolu...'" he hissed and spit, shaking with rage. "Learn how every s-single trainer was an evil enslaver, and how h-horrible the world used t-to be before the amazing Nido s-saved us all...That was what they were saying, really...

There was some kind of...I dunno, interview booth near the theatre. I guess it was the movie makers, talking about their project to the press. There was a Volcarona and a Leavanny...those are their names, right? They were talking with an Exploud reporter, telling everyone about their movie.

I only caught the tail end of the conversation. "...this movie will be controversial, to say the least. What do you hope to accomplish?"

"Well...a lot of folks seem to look at the past with these rose-colored glasses. They think that the world was a better place before the revolution. It's not just people, either. Some Pokemon I know think that they want the old days back. They don't realize a lot of the terrible things the humans actually did. Just ask our good friend, Mr. Anders."

Mr. Anders was a Pignite. I...it's funny. He really wasn't that remarkable. Ever have that, when you see someone really important, but you don't know he's important, so you don't notice much? That was kinda what it was like.

"Well," Anders said, "I know for a fact that many of the trainers cared absolutely nothing for their Pokemon. They believed that we were just...tools for their entertainment. My own trainer left me to starve when I lost a fight, and I know for a fact that I'm not the only Pokemon to go through that."

You know, I actually agreed with Anders. Seriously, I got what he was saying. Where he was coming from. But then the Volcarona butted in...

"Let's be honest here. EVERY Pokemon went through that. Maybe not in the same manner, but every Pokemon has experienced abuse at the hands of their trainers. Physical, emotional, psychological. Heck, Pokemon training is inherently abusive! It's high time the humans faced up to that. They were all basically just -"

That just...I...

I know it...I know it's kinda hypocritical...you know, after all that thinking I'd been doing on the ship. Why s-should I be outraged about something I was agreeing with a month ago? A minute ago?

But...the way they were talking about it...the way they'd been banging on about it with those movies, the nerve they had so soon after the war, it really...it really struck a nerve, I got so mad...I just...and then I realized something. I realized why. And when I did...I couldn't hold it back any longer.

"HAH!" I yelled so loud I got everybody's attention. Pointing right at that smug little firebug, I started screaming. "YOU'RE JUST TRYING TO CONVINCE YOURSELF THAT SO YOU DON'T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT WHAT YOU DID! YOU AND THE REVOLUTIONARIES KILLED HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE, DESTROYED THOUSANDS OF LIVES, RUINED AN ENTIRE WORLD **AND NOW YOU'RE TRYING TO TELL EVERYBODY THAT IT WAS WORTH IT! WAS IT?!"**

Ash blinked and remembered he was still in the cell. With an embarrassed chuckle, he got down off the table and returned to his seat.

"S-something like that. I think it sounded a lot better back then."

_It did_. Mewtwo agreed.

"Yeah..." Ash sighed, twiddling his fingers for a second. "You know...if I could, I would take back everything I did that day...everything I did my whole life...but I...I won't take back what I said then and there. I mean...it h-had to be said, right?"

_Yes._

Ash breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah...I thought so.

But yeah , a lot of people agreed with me. Suddenly there was a lot of shouting and yelling. But it wasn't...well, I've been thinking and, it wouldn't have been so bad if...he...

Something else about A-Anders. After I...said that, there was this look on his face. It was...I only just remember it now. It was...guilt. He looked guilty. Not that it...mattered. Not when...

But as I was saying, it wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't...turned around...

That's when I saw it. I saw it, and everything else just disappeared. The world just vanished, and I...

I saw that scar.

The only thing I saw of the creature that set my house on fire. The one thing I could recall about the Pokemon running off into the night. A fat pig creature with a long scar down his back.

Anders was the one who killed my mother.

I just…everything around me disappeared, and I...came right at him, roaring like an animal. He turned back and saw me coming, but I was on top of him before he could react.

**"YOU!"**

He looked up at me with these wide eyes, scared out of his wits. His voice was cracked, I think my hands were around his throat. "Whu-what are you talk aheeeegh talking about?! What are you doing?!"

I just snarled. "You were in Pallet Town that day, the day the revolution started! I saw you there! You were running away from my house!"

"I-I-I-I don't know what you're-"

"YOU were running into the woods! YOU set my house on fire! **YOU KILLED MY MOTHER**!"

He finally figured it out. His eyes...I'll never forget that face. He was terrified and...guilty, at the same time. I think...I think he realized what was gonna happen.

"Oh god, oh god, you're...you're...it was an accident, I swear, I'm sorry..."

I think he meant it. Like that mattered.

I started hitting him. Punching him in the face. I just...all I saw was my mother, burning in the fire. I keep hitting him, hitting him until he started bleeding. Everything got loud, but I didn't hear anything. I think the other Pokemon attacked me, but I didn't notice. Blood splattered all over my face, and I didn't care. I just kept hitting and hitting and hitting and hitting...

And the whole time, he just kept looking at me with those eyes...

Ash was shivering now, even though it hadn't gotten any colder. His eyes were wide, and his hands were twitching. Trying to calm himself down enough to continue talking, he took a drink of water.

"Why didn't he...why...didn't he fight back? He knew I was gonna...he...he HAD to know...was he...was he really sorry? Did he really think...I was...even I'm not sure anymore."

Ash sighed, lowering his eyes. "I was sure then, though. I was sure, I...when the police finally managed to pull me off him, when I saw that he was...that I...I felt great. I felt better than I'd felt in a long time. Like I...like I actually accomplished something. Something terrible, horrible, but...something. I avenged my mother, that was something, right? Right?" his voice was cracking, like he didn't believe what he was saying. "That was...something. I did that. Not my Pokemon, not my friends...I did that. Me.

I don't...I don't think I need to tell you about the court thing. Yeah, you were there. I saw how...disappointed you were in me. Don't...don't say anything. I could see it in your eyes. The child who stood up for any kind of life, murdering someone so...What kind of...what kind of person am I?

Don't tell me. I don't wanna know.

I can tell you about something you weren't there for, though. You don't know...well, you didn't see what happened in Slateport Prison. I'll...I'll tell you about that..."

Ash gulped. He was coming to the end of his story. After this, there was nothing more to tell. After this, he had to make a decision. His fate.

"Slateport prison. Wasn't it the museum once upon a time? Odd place to make a...Er, anyway...

I'd been in the cell since the trial. It kinda reminded me of the SS Leonard, my time spent there. Heh, of course it did. A dry land prison.

I wasn't doing anything. Not even thinking, like on the ship. I just...sat there, for Arceus knows how long. No-one to talk to, I was the only prisoner in the hallway that day. Not hungry, not thirsty, not tired...well, I was tired, but I couldn't sleep. I still wasn't sleeping. And...ugh, I'm rambling, let's just...let's just get to when...

He showed up. He... I just...I heard the door at the end of the hallway open and close, then I heard someone cough right in front of my cell, do I looked up and...It was Kachu.

He wasn't wearing those robes I saw on TV, with those colors. These ones were plain. He was wearing that crown, though. The one that looks like a Pokeball splitting open? That one. That's how I could tell it was him.

He looked...sad. He just quietly said my name, like he was scared to say it out loud. "...Ash?"

I looked up. You know, I still didn't figure it out. "Heh. So what does the architect of the New Era want with someone like me?" I asked him.

He stammered. I'd never seen him like this. Whenever he was on TV, he was calm and collected. He always had this sad look in his eye, but he never...he was biting his claws and fingering something in his...robe pocket? I dunno, but he was really nervous.

"Ash, I...I...it's me, it's..."

"I know who you are. Lord Kachu. Big shot Pokemon. What do you want?"

He gulped. "I just...I just want to talk to you. Ash, I'm...I'm not just that, I...it's me."

I still didn't figure it out. "You? You who? I don't-"

"I...I..." he finally just sighed. "Pikapi."

I finally figured it out.

My Pikachu, the Pokemon I had traveled the farthest with, the one who'd been with me since the first day, he was Lord Kachu! I couldn't believe it! I mean...I mean, what kind of a coincidence is that? It'd been so long, I was so happy to see him. I was...I was honestly proud. He'd come so far since...since...

And then I remembered.

"You..." I started growling. I was shivering, but I wasn't cold or anything, I just...I..."You...you TRAITOR!"

Kachu was standing close enough to the bars for me to grab him. I held him up by the collar of that cloak, trying to...not trying to...I thought about choking him.

"You miserable little rat! You stab me in the back, and now you come back as the second-in-command of this stinking new era! You've got a lot of nerve, seeing me after so long!"

"Ash, I-"

"DON'T TALK TO ME! Do you have any idea what you put me through?! You...you destroyed everything! You...you...traitor, you...**I HATE YOU**!"

The way he...he looked at me when I...s-said those words...he was...I...I didn't care, I just...he said "I-I-I'm sorry..."

"YOU'RE SORRY?! YOU THINK YOU CAN FIX EVERYTHING BY SAYING 'SORRY'?! I HATE YOU! I NEVER WANNA SEE YOU AGAIN!"

I dropped him on the floor, and he...he just ran away, crying. Sobbing.

Ash stopped talking for a second, gnawing on his knuckle again. Confused regret filled his eyes, pushing out the tears.

"I...I...the second he'd ran out the door, I...I wanted to take it all back. I mean...c'mon, he saved my life! Face it, he...saved my neck the only way he thought he could...

But..." he tried to look angry again. "He was...he was in charge! After what he did! He betrayed me, and now he's in charge of a world where everything we did is...I would never have gotten so mad if he wasn't-"

He caught himself, his eyes going wide. "Oh...oh my...d-don't tell him I said that. I didn't say that! He can't know I said that! Don't...please don't tell him I said that..."

Mewtwo nodded solemnly. _I won't._

"Th-thank you...I figured that would be it. I just ...I just drove off my best friend, and now I'd screwed up absolutely everything in my life. Everything. A- At least it couldn't get any worse, right?

And then huh-he showed up...

I had just slunk into the corner of my cell. I didn't know if I was angry at K-Kachu, angry at myself, angry at everything else, or just depressed. Unbelievable, huh? Used to be the worlds most confident kid, and now I can't make up my mind about anything anymore.

The door opened. I...hoped it was Kachu. But the footsteps that came up to my cell were way too heavy to be any of my Pokemon. Besides, there were too many of them. Three sets...yeah, three. They came right up to my cell, but I didn't even look up. And then he started talking.

"So, you are Kachu's former master."

I didn't place the voice at first. Never heard it before. Sounded like something off a tape recorder. So I just answered "Yeah."

He chuckled...somehow. "It is a good thing he finally saw your true colors."

That set me off. I whirled around to deny that...not sure how I would, come to think of it. But I stopped when I saw just who had said that.

I never heard his voice, but I'd definitely seen him. On the TV, before and after the revolution. I recognized those scars across his eyes, that voice box fused onto his neck. That look in his eye...

This was him. This was the one responsible for everything that happened. The one who destroyed the Indigo Plateau. The one who had Pallet Town burned. The one who started it all.

Nido the Great.

I was just...paralyzed. I couldn't move. Right in front of me was the creature who destroyed my entire world...and there was nothing I could do about it. He'd brought along two of his buddies, a...um, Bisharp and a Heatmor? Yeah...

"Y-You..."

That monster smiled that damn smirk. "So you do know me. I certainly know you."

I couldn't believe my ears. "What?!"

He just laughed and changed the subject. "I would like to share a revelation I've had with you, Ash Ketchum."

So he did know who I was. But how? And...Well, why would he care? "What are you talking about?"

He motioned to his buddies, and they split up down the hallway, each one guarding a door. "You see, trainers like you always puzzled me for the longest time. The ones who persistently claim that their Pokemon are their 'friends' even as they imprison and enslave them."

You can bet that got me mad. "WHAT?!"

"Let me finish. It is a remarkable tactic, I will give you that. Very ingenious, in theory at least. By convincing your...pets that you really care about them, you minimize the chances of any rebellion or insubordination. A smart move."

I didn't say anything. I just sat there and seethed. One part of me was telling me 'he's right' and the other kept shouting 'he's wrong' and I couldn't...I was too confused and upset to say anything, so he just kept going on.

"That part I understood. But what I didn't understand was the lengths you went to to maintain this lie. You see, I looked into your history. Ash Ketchum, perpetual loser. Years of experience and still never getting anywhere close to the championship. Your constant attempts to reinforce your 'friendship' cost you so many victories...why would you keep it up?"

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but he stopped me.

"Then I saw your little...outburst on the news, and it hit me. The lie wasn't maintained for the Pokemon. No, it was maintained for the trainers themselves. You and trainers like you convinced yourselves that your servants were your friends so you would not have to face the reality of what you were doing."

He stopped, like he was waiting for me to respond. When I didn't, he added. "Face it, boy. If you had stopped kidding yourself, you could have won a long time ago."

"It wasn't like that." I groaned.

"Was it?" he asked, with that goddamn smile on his face.

I...didn't have an answer for him. I couldn't...I couldn't say he was wrong. He didn't know me, he didn't understand that it wasn't a lie, he didn't get anything about friendship, but...after everything, I couldn't be the one to tell him that.

Instead, I asked "Is that why you came here? To tell me that?"

His smile disappeared for a second. It was like he was...disappointed. Angry, like I said the wrong thing. But then he started smiling and talking again. "That...and to tell you about the Pallet fire. There is something I think you should know.

My advisors..." he gestured to the two Pokemon he came with. "They often asked why I bothered with that tiny little town. I imagine you wondered that as well."

That got my attention. I looked to hear what he was saying.

"There are two reasons I had that place destroyed. Pallet was the original starting town for trainers, the place where Professor Oak first gave out starters. It was where the enslavement all began, really. It had to be destroyed.

And secondly...I was looking for you."

I couldn't believe my ears. He was looking for me? What was he talking about?

"Why would you be-?"

"Because you took something from me." he started growling, not smiling anymore. "You took something from me when you took something from my old trainer."

"Your old trainer? What are you-?"

"Paul."

I couldn't…Paul was Nido's trainer? That...I'm not sure if I'm surprised, to be honest, but...I dunno, it just seemed like too much of a coincidence.

He was...shaking, getting more and more angry. "I hated him. Almost as much as you did. I wanted him to lose everything. EVERYTHING. His family, his home, his victories. But you took his greatest victory before I could. And you did not even win the competition. How...disappointing."

I think I groaned. Yippee, another reminded of the failure that was my life. I groaned and he got even madder.

"You little...I sent Anders to pick you up, but you were gone. If you'd been there, I imagine your dear mother would still be alive."

He...looked impatient. Like he was waiting for me to do something and I wasn't doing it. I guess...now that I think about it, I guess he was expecting me to scream, try to kill him, something like what I did with Anders and Kachu.

But I just...I didn't really respond. Like I said, I was too confused, too depressed, too upset to say anything. I knew he was trying to get me mad, but...I was too tired. I was too exhausted to get angry. I mean...what was he telling me? That this was all my fault, for not being with my mom that day?

I knew that already.

He snarled, "What, have you nothing to say?"

"No." I said. I think.

Well, whatever I said, it made him snap. His eye went crazy and his teeth grinded for a second. Then he suddenly roared and ripped open the cell doors with his bare hands...well, claws. You can bet that woke me up.

I screamed for the guard, but Nido grabbed me and slammed me against the wall.

"The guard is one of my brothers. We won't be interrupted."

I saw something out of the corner of my eye. "Camera..." I croaked.

"I will deal with that later." He growled. That evil eye of his stated me down, and I'd never been so scared in my life.

"Why do you wretched children not act as you should?! First Paul ruined it, and now you're ruining it...again! No matter! The council is doubting our cause because of you, and you have to be eliminated!"

Despite the terrifying memory, Ash scoffed as he recalled Nido's words.

"'You ruined it'. The mighty revolutionary, throwing a temper tantrum because his victims didn't follow his script. Why did Pokemon follow him again?"

Mewtwo could've explained how Nido had been saner at the beginning of the revolution, how he spoke very convincing speeches, how the revenge fantasy was only secondary, and he only became unhinged as the war continued. But he could tell Ash didn't want an answer to that question.

Ash shook his head. "I thought...I thought I was gonna die. Nobody was gonna save me. I was gonna die, alone, a prisoner, all my dreams reduced to nothing, all alone. I had never been more scared in my life.

He raked his claws against my face, real slow, like he was trying to figure out how best to...I was begging. "Oh god, please don't, please don't, nononono..."

He didn't listen to me. He didn't listen to his henchmen either, when they told him this was bad. "Boss, if the camera sees you like this-"

"We will destroy the tapes later. Now WHY ARE NOT YOU WATCHING THE DOOR?!"

"But boss-"

He whirled around, hitting the Bisharp with flamethrower. Cooked him alive. Heck, I think he melted. The other guy just looked at his dead friend and ran back to the door.

"Cowards. No matter." His teeth were still smoking when he turned back to me. "Time to finish this..."

I shut my eyes real tight, like...like it would help any. The second I did, I saw my mother burning, because I wasn't there. I saw my Pokemon fighting for their lives at the lab, because they wanted to help me escape. I saw Pidgeot and his flock crashing to the ground, all because they tried to help me. I saw Pikachu...I...saw him...making whuh-what had to be the huh-hardest choice in his life, because I was his friend. And it was all for nothing. All those deaths, all that misery, all so I could go nuts and die.

I started ...crying. There was ...nothing else I...I could do. Nothing.

And then...then I heard his voice again...

"NIDO! STOP!"

I opened my eyes. It was...it was Ka...Pikachu. He...he came back...even after I...I...I couldn't believe it.

Nuh-neither could Nido. "What?! What are you doing here?"

"Put him down! Now!" I...felt like the Calvary had arrived. Like...like I could be..,

"You STILL defend him?!" Nido snarled, gripping my th-throat tighter so I couldn't talk. "Do not you see? You heard him! He cares nothing for you! He hates you! Now that he no longer has power over you, you are nothing to him!"

I froze. What if...what if he was...he was wrong...wasn't he? B-but...the things I said...what if Kachu was listening? What if...

His hand gripped me tighter and tighter, and I felt like I was gonna suffocate before..."When will you open your eyes, Kachu? You saw him for what he truly is! You save his miserable hide, and how does he thank you?! This wretch is keeping you from truly embracing your power! He has to die! STOP LYING TO YOURSELF! ACCEPT-"

I thought...I thought for a second Kachu would let me die. But then he...he leapt at Nido and...grabbed his tongue. He screamed, "I'VE! HAD! ENOUGH! OF! YOUR! SPEECHES!"

I saw terror in Nido's eye. Pure, simple, terror. Like Anders. I didn't think he'd ever been frightened before. He dropped me to the floor, and I just say there, catching my breath.

And then...Pikachu let out the...the greatest Thunderbolt I ever saw. He... The electricity coursed through Nido's body... Guess it worked since it was...coming from the inside. I'll...I'll never forget how it looked. It was like...it was like lightning bolts were coming out of his eyes and... I could hear him screaming...

And then he just stopped.

Nido just...fell to the ground. **Clunk.** Like a suit of armour. The way he fell, I could see his face. His mouth was wide open, and it was...smoking. So were his eyes. He was...he was...Kachu had...to save me...

Kachu just stood next to the body, breathing real hard. He looked...he looked...I dunno how to describe it. Like it was something he both wanted to do, and...hated to do.

The Heatmor was watching us from the doorway. The look on his face...he must've thought nobody could beat Nido. Especially not...Kachu.

Kachu just hissed at him, and he ran like a scared rabbit. Then he turned to look at me...

I should've said something. Anything. I should've said...I dunno...I should've thanked him, I should've said I was sorry for what I said, I should've...told him I...I should've...I should've said SOMETHING!

But I couldn't. I just...i just sat there, staring at him. My friend just killed someone to save my life. I was...paralyzed. I didn't move, I didn't talk, I didn't...I didn't...

And he just...

I...I don't remember a whole lot after that. It was like I passed out with my eyes open. It's all a blur. I remember the guard dragging me out, I remember the ship, I remember being put here.

And then you came in, telling me I had to choose what'll happen to me now.


	13. Ash: Final part

With the story finished, the prisoner and the king just sat there in silence. What else was there to say? Ash's eyes glanced out the window. How late was it? Was the day almost over?

It was. He had to make a decision. He started chewing on his knuckle, which was now very sore._ I have to...B-but I'm not...I can't..._

"Th-there's something that...did Kachu get in trouble for what happened to Nuh-Nido?"

Mewtwo shook his head. _The only evidence is the videotape, and the revolutionaries won't let it go out as it would ruin their idea of Nido._

"H-how?"

_Think about it. They regard him as a hero, a champion. Someone who freed them from oppression. On the tape, he's threatening an unarmed child, complaining about how his revenge fantasy didn't work the way he wanted, and murdering one of his closest followers. Their image would be shattered._

"That makes sense...but...people are gonna find out he got..."

_Many already know._

"Geez..." the boy tried to force a smile. "Wuh-well...that's good, I mean, it's not good, but...a lot of the bad things that happened are because of him, s-so with him d-d- gone, maybe things'll get back to-"

_The way they were before?_ Mewtwo looked straight at Ash.

The boy's thin smile vanished. "N-no...I guess not."

He couldn't look the king in the eye for very long, looking somewhere else. _I gotta...how am I supposed to...why am I so scared? I died before...kinda...I'm not afraid of...no...that's not what I'm scared of._

"This...this isn't...This 'new era'." Ash sighed. "It's not...it's not right, you know it isn't. I know...how it sounds, but...just because of what...what it was like before, it doesn't mean that...the revolution was right, that it's right for the Pokemon to just make us...it's not right, it's not the way it should be.

I mean...is it really different from how we...were we really that...I...someone shouldn't just...they...in a real 'new era', Pokemon and people would be...I dunno, equal. They wouldn't treat the others like slaves, just because...but yeah, fat chance of that happening."

_I disagree._

"Huh?"

_I think a world like that is possible. Now that Kachu and I are in a position to do so, we can take steps to make the world a truly equal place. There is another group out there, the Opposed, who are working to that goal outside the government. Between the two parties, balance is possible._

Mewtwo sighed. _But it will take time. Time for the scars of the revolution to heal, time for the blood of the fighters to cool. I cannot force equality on the people, or I would be a true tyrant. But...Mewtwo placed his hand on Ash's shoulder. I promise you, I will make this world a better place._

Ash gulped, not sure how to respond. His bit his lip, looking into Mewtwo's eyes like a child to a parent. "P-promise?"

_Promise._

There was a brief silence. Ash mulled over what the king had said for a few minutes. His eyes became faraway, his thoughts turning to his future. Mewtwo moved his hand off the boy's shoulder, waiting for him to respond.

Eventually, he looked straight at the king. "I want to see it." he declared. "I want to see this world. I want...I want to see you keep your promise."

_I see._

"And...and I don't want to be forgotten. I don't want to be 'out of sight, out of mind'. I want you and Kachu to...to see me and remember your promise. I want..." he stopped, not sure whet to say next.

Mewtwo nodded, understanding the boy's choice. _So you've decided._

Ash froze as the weight of what he'd chosen set in. Doubt and fear flared up in him, but he realized that this was what he wanted.

"Y-y-yeah. I want...I want the..." he tapped his forehead. "Yeah. That's my ch-choice. Yeah."

Mewtwo sighed, realizing what he had to do. A part of him had hoped the child wouldn't want this. But this was his decision, and the more the king thought about it, the more he understood. _Very well._

Ash nodded, biting back any objections or arguments that tried to bubble. "You...you should p-probably go now. I think I t-took up too much of your time already."

Mewtwo could tell Ash wanted him to leave before he changed his mind. He reluctantly agreed, and got up to leave.

"Um...when?"

_Tomorrow afternoon._ Mewtwo answered simply.

Ash went white. "Oh...um...o...ok. I guess...I guess that's b-best...um...could I...ask you something?"

_Go ahead._

"Before you...do it, there's s-someone I need to talk to..."

* * *

The next day, Ash had been moved to the rebuilt Slateport facility. The room he was in was a great deal more comfortable than the cave-cell, though he could hardly call it 'homey'. At least the seat was an actual chair instead of a rock, and the table was actually a table.

Ash fidgeted in his seat. He rubbed his hands together, the cuffs gone for this meeting. He wasn't sure why Mewtwo had trusted him like this. Especially since...

Ash was very nervous, but the strange thing was, he wasn't sure if it was fear or...anticipation. Fear of losing himself forever, or anticipation of years of misery coming to an end. Maybe after this was done, he could actually sleep...

But there was something he had to do first.

He thought it was an eternity, but a look at the cell clock told him it had only been a few minutes since he'd been placed in the room. It was only a few minutes before the door opened.

Ash's head snapped up._ He actually came? After what happened? I..._

For a moment, he was confused. The Pikachu that was slowly stepping into the room wasn't wearing any fancy robes or anything. He looked like a wild Pikachu would have before the revolution. It could've been anyone...

But Ash recognized his eyes. "H-hey...Kachu. Where are your..."

Kachu scratched his arm nervously. "I...thought it would help if...I wasn't...you know..."

_He looks just he did when we first met._

_He looks like he did when he betrayed..._

_No, no no. _ Ash repressed the angry voice in his head. He couldn't be angry. Not now. This could be the...last time they ever saw each other as...themselves...

Kachu was still hovering by the door, not sure what to do next. His paw went to his throat, remembering what happened the last time they were here.

Ash gulped, understanding why Pikachu was so nervous. He made himself smile. "Hey, cuh...c'mere. It's...it's ok, I'm not gonna...c'mon, I gotta tell you something."

Pikachu was hesitant, but he eventually stepped closer to Ash. Looking down, Ash realized just how small this 'Lord' really was. It was amazing how powerful the Pokemon was.

But he was still small enough to sit on his shoulder.

Pikachu hopped up onto the table, allowing him to look Ash in the eye. At first, he simply stood at the opposite end, too nervous to move any closer.

Ash eventually had to spoke. "Do you...do you know where the others are?"

Kachu gulped. "They, um...they wouldn't come. I asked, but...they don't want to see you like this."

Ash sighed. He wanted to say goodbye to his other friends...but there was nothing he could do about it now. "Mewtwo...told me what the Sneasel said."

Kachu gulped hard. "You...you have to...when I heard Nido was coming, I got so scared..."

"Hey..."

"All I could see was that...kid at the entrance...thought of you like that...I thought...I thought you would be safe..."

"Kachu, I..."

Tears were pouring out of Kachu's eyes. "I'm so sorry, Ash. Every day I think about what I did to you, what happened...I wish I could've done something else...I tried to find you, but I couldn't...and Nido told me you were dead, I can't believe I listened to that maniac..."

Ash wasn't sure if he should interrupt or let Pikachu finish. For the moment, he just sat quietly, taking it all in.

"I...I know. I know I can't fix this. I know I can't make what happened to you go away, I can't...this is bigger than me now, and I can't...I know you hate me..."

"I don't hate you."

Pikachu blinked, confused. "Wh-what? But you said..."

Tears were starting to form in Ash's eyes as well. "I don't...I was wrong...I..." Ash stammered for a minute, before finally blurting out. "I'm sorry."

Kachu was very surprised. "_You're_ sorry?"

Ash gulped, swallowing back tears. "For...for...you saved my life, you all saved my life, and I just went and screwed it all up...I'm sorry."

Pikachu took a step closer to his former trainer. "Ash..."

"I wanted...I wanted to suh-say something to you before...I had to tell you...I want to tell you something." Ash babbled, barely holding himself together.

Kachu gulped nervously, not sure what to expect. "Wh-What do you...what do you want to tell me?"

Ash hesitated for a moment. He'd once promised himself he'd never say .this. Not to Pikachu. But now...he had to. He had to tell him. He had to say it now.

Pikachu was close enough now. He could...

Within a second, he wrapped his arms around the little Pokemon and pulled him into a hug. Kachu was caught off guard, almost shocking Ash, but something stopped him.

Ash whispered into Kachu's ear. "I forgive you."

The dam burst. Both Ash and Pikachu sobbed into each other, painfully aware that this was the last time they would really see each other as themselves. Ash clutched his best friend warmly, just like he did in days long past. Long before the revolution, the attacks, the new era. When a little boy started his journey with his friends.

And his best friend in the whole world.

When Ash finally regained control of himself, he managed to ask a question that was on his mind. "Kachu...when I...who's gonna be...taking care of me?"

Kachu looked Ash in the eye, still wiping away tears. "Muh-me. I'll be...we all thought it'd be best."

Ash managed a smile. "That...that's good, that's good." Taking a deep breath, he rubbed the fur atop Kachu's head. "Take...take good care of me, k?"

Kachu couldn't say anything. He just nodded.

"Tell everybody I...I'm sorry for everything. Tell them...Tell them I said goodbye."

"I will..." Kachu choked out.

"And buddy?"

Pikachu looked into his friend's eyes, tears glistening like the dewdrops of a new day. "What?"

"Don't fuh-forget the times we had. Don't ever..."

Kachu smiled sadly. "How could I forget?"

Ash smiled, and drew Pikachu back into his hug. Time froze for them, neither wanting to let go. Every good memory came to them, every triumph, every challenge. Every victory and every loss. They sunk into their memories as long as they could. They were still hugging each other when Mewtwo came into the room.

_It's time._

It took another eternity for Ash and Pikachu to pull away from each other. Kachu was shivering as he slowly stepped away from his friend, touching his fingers in a feeble attempt to prolong their contact.

Ash couldn't bring himself to say it. "Guh-guh-good...good..."

Pikachu had to clamp his eyes shut. He didn't want the last thing he saw his friend be him struggling to say..."Goodbye." he finally burst out before running out of the room, not looking back.

Ash gulped down the last of his tears as Mewtwo approached him. It was time for Ash Ketchum, the Pokemon Trainer from Pallet Town, to end.

_Ash..._

"Just do it." Ash sighed, closing his eyes. Biting his lip, the boy braced for the inevitable. He wondered what it would be like, having himself changed forever.

He felt a pressure on his forehead, and then his head became light...

Ash opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that he was in a...room? Strangest room he'd ever seen in his life. The walls were there but not really there, like they were translucent glass. All he could see was this purple haze swirling around, but he was definately standing on something. Ash felt dislocated, but safe at the same time.

The second thing he noticed was that he was very much himself.

"What?" he asked, his voice echoing strangely. "Wh-what's going on?"

_I thought you might be confused. I apologize._

Ash whirled around to see Mewtwo standing next to him. "Mewtwo? What's going on? Where am I?"

_To put it simply, Ash..._Mewtwo gestured at the space around them. _We are inside your mind._

Ash blinked. "I'm...inside my head?" so many questions came to his head, but he couldn't articulate them all at once. "What...what am I doing here? I thought you were gonna...Er...brainwash me or something..."

_In a sense, I have_. Mewtwo sighed. _Outside, I just finished 'programming' your physical body. As far as Reuso and everyone else is concerned, I've turned you into a quiet, subservient, harmless servant._

Ash wasn't sure how he felt about that. "Well...ok, so why am I...of I'm just a...why do I feel like me?" he was very, very confused.

Mewtwo smiled slightly. _You're you. At least, a psychic representation of everything Ash Ketchum used to be. What he is. Reuso expected me to wipe you away completely, but I'm far more skilled than that. I just...tucked you away in a corner of your mind that he won't be able to find._

"But...why?"

_So that when the world truly is balanced...you can see it with your own eyes._

Ash gasped. "You mean I...I'm not gonna be a vegetable forever? D-does Kachu know about this?"

Mewtwo's smile faded. _No. Of any of the other psychics found out, they would accuse me of protecting a dangerous criminal. I couldn't tell anyone...not until this world's fixed._

"...oh." Ash sighed. "So...so what am I gonna do while I'm waiting here?"

_Heal._ Mewtwo placed a paw on Ash's shoulder. _You'll be able to heal your wounds here, so when it is time for you to wake, it won't be the self-hating mess that killed Anders. It will be Ash Ketchum, the boy from Pallet Town who saved the world many times. I swear, I will help you heal._

Ash looked into the king's eyes. He could tell he was being sincere. Maybe...maybe he could be fixed. Maybe he would see his friends as himself again. Maybe he would see a world where Pokemon didn't abuse humans, or humans abused Pokemon. Maybe there was hope after all.

"Th-thank you." Ash gulped. "What...what do I do now?"

_Right now? Sleep._

A bed, just like the one in his home, materialized from the mist. Ash still wasn't sure how all of this was working, but he stopped caring.

He was tired. After everything...after the attack, the revolution, Viridian City, the SS Leonard, the movie premiere, the jail, and the reunion...more than anything else, Ash Ketchum was tired. He hadn't really slept in years. Now...

Crawling under the bed sheets and resting his head on the pillow, Ash Ketchum closed his eyes and let soothing darkness overcome him. He smiled, pleasant memories guiding him to peace.

For the first time in a long, long time, Ash Ketchum slept in peace.


	14. King of the Valley

Charicific Valley was a mystery. Even before the revolution, it was an isolated locale reserved only for Charizards and their de facto trainer, Liza. Few trainers had heard about it, let alone been inside. When the revolution struck, the valley was completely sealed off. Anyone and anything that tried to get inside was either driven off or killed. The ones who survived reported sounds of incredible battle coming from within. Rumors had abounded that this had been Nido's secret base, or simply a revolutionary stronghold. But when the war was over and the New Era had begun, there was still nothing known about Charicific Valley. It wasn't a revolutionary base, it wasn't even a counterrevolutionary base, and no-one could say what had happened inside during those long years.

So when it was announced that one of the Charizards who lived there, no less than the self-proclaimed 'King of the Valley', would be coming out to speak with Lord Kachu, it was big news.

Kachu looked out at the driveway, which was now filled with dozens of reporters and TV cameras. He hadn't seen a media blitz like this since Ash's trial. This was almost unexpected…he knew Charicific Valley had become something of a mythical place, but a resident coming out wouldn't normally attract THIS much attention. At this point, Kachu just hoped that things could stay in control…

That hope was dashed the minute the King of the Valley arrived.

The only warning the reporters called was a mighty roar coming from the sky. They had only just turned to the sound when a colossal pillar of flame erupted from the air, blasting onto a thankfully-empty part of the driveway. The heat from the flame alone was enough to drive the cameras away, and the reporters ran away as fast as they possibly could from the wrathful monster that descended from the sky.

The Charizard that landed in front of Kachu's home looked like a barbarian king. The only bit of modern tech on him was a black translation box on his neck. His body and wings were covered in thick scars and deep burns, none of them were covered up in any way. One scar went over his eye, almost resembling Nido's infamous mark. A necklace made up of horns or teeth was around his neck, and a larger-than-normal Charizard skull was tied onto his head like a Cubone helmet. The flame on his tail blazed furiously as he stormed towards the mansion.

Taking a deep breath, Lord Kachu stepped out through the door. He was wearing low-key brown robes, and his crown was perched comfortably on his head. "Ahem…Welcome." He greeted politely, if nervously.

The King of the Valley didn't greet him back. He just grabbed Kachu by his robe and brought him up to his face. **"Where is he?"** he demanded, the words roaring from the translation box.

Kachu blinked. "Wha-who are you talking about?"

**Don't play dumb, 'Lord Kachu'! You…"** The King of the Valley took a deep breath and removed the skull from his head, allowing Kachu to look him in the eyes. "You know who I mean, Pikachu."

Kachu's eyes widened in shock. He recognized him…but it couldn't be. The little Charmander they had rescued from Damian, who grew up into the stubborn but powerful Charizard, becoming the King of the Valley after the Revolution? It seemed like too much of a coincidence…then again, everyone around him had an uncanny ability to attract coincidences. "Charizard? This…this is a surprise…"

"Glad you remember me." Charizard snarled. "Now tell me where he is!"

Pikachu held up his paws defensively. "I will. I will. But I need you to calm down first. I don't know how it worked in your Valley, but out here, you can't threaten anyone like that. We're trying NOT to have another war on our hands. So please, put me down."

Charizard didn't respond for a minute, only glaring at the mouse Pokemon in his claws. It wasn't until a small spark emanated from Kachu's cheeks that he finally relented and released the Pikachu onto the ground.

Lord Kachu dusted himself off. "Well…it's good to see you again. It's been a long time. A very long time…" Pikachu's paw touched the horn and teeth necklace around The King of the Valley's neck. "I see you've been busy. What exactly happened in the Valley?"

Charizard just growled in response. "I'm not telling anything to anyone until I see him."

Kachu sighed deeply. "…Very well. He's in the orchard right now. Please follow me…and try not to burn any of the trees, please?"

The orchard was on the other side of the mansion, so it was a brief walk to get there. As they walked there, the two Pokemon kept silent. Charizard wouldn't even look at Pikachu, while Pikachu kept glancing at the skull and necklace. _What were you doing in there?_

Eventually, they reached the orchard. The place was filled with berry trees and bushes, ready to be picked for Brock's recipes. Cheri, Pecha, Tamato, even some exotic berry trees imported from Fiore. They looked juicy, and Charizard was admittedly tempted to rip a few off the branches and devour them. But all the berries in the world were forgotten when he saw the caretaker.

He was picking several Bluk berries from a tree and placing them in a basket for Brock. The boy hadn't even looked up when Kachu and Charizard came walking up. Charizard's eyes widened in shock when he saw him. "_Ash?_"

Ash Ketchum slowly turned towards the two Pokemon. His blank eyes seemed to brighten when he saw them, but that was just the sun reflecting off them. "Hello, Kachu. Hello, Charizard." He greeted with a flat voice and a slow wave. "Can I help you?"

Charizard was struck speechless, gaping at his former trainer with disbelieving eyes. Seeing the look on Charizard's face, Kachu motioned Ash away. "No, thank you. Why don't you…um…bring those berries to Brock now? I need to speak with Charizard alone."

"OK." Ash answered, walking away as if he was sleepwalking.

Charizard didn't protest. He just watched the boy walk back into the mansion, his jaw hanging open in disbelief. Kachu glanced at him and at the retreating form of Ash Ketchum, only speaking when Ash was back inside the building. "Well…as you can see, Ash…"

"**That's not Ash**." Charizard snapped.

Kachu sighed. He knew what was coming next. "I know – "

"THAT…_THING_… IS NOT ASH!" Charizard roared. "He…he wouldn't just…he's not…he's strong! He's determined! A fighter! He's not a…a pushover! A weakling! He'd never give up like this! He'd fight to the end!"

Kachu rubbed his forehead. "That was the problem…"

Charizard whirled around and grabbed Kachu, slamming him against one of the trees with enough force to knock the berries out of the branches. "How could you do this?! He trusted you! YOU were his FAVORITE! **YOU were his** **FRIEND**! And you let him down!"

Kachu gasped for breath. "Charizard…"

"I know what you did to him. I found the Captain of the SS Leonard. **You COWARD**!" Charizard snarled.

"You don't understand!" Kachu protested. "You didn't see Viridian, you don't know what Nido was planning for him…If you'd been there, you would've…"

"I would've fought for him! I would've fought WITH him!" Charizard released Kachu and began pacing furiously. "We would've faced Nido's pet hordes, never backed down like you did! I would've made him a…a fighter! He would've…"

"He would have been killed." Kachu stated matter-of-factly.

"EVEN IF HE DIED, IT WOULD'VE BEEN BETTER THAN REDUCING HIM TO…" The King of the Valley gestured at the mansion door that Ash had gone through. The thought of his former trainer behind those doors drained the fury from him. "…to…to that…" Even as he spoke it, he knew it wasn't really true. Dying in battle was a nice sentiment for a warrior, but death was still death.

Kachu shook his head sadly. "It doesn't matter what you would have done if you were in my place. Because you weren't in my place. You weren't there." He stated harshly. "I'll ask again. What were you doing?"

His fury all but drained out, Charizard took his skull helmet in his hands and stared into it's eyes. "The war came to the valley sooner that everywhere else. Some of Nido's recruiters got inside the valley, tried to turn us to their cause and use the valley as a base. Some agreed with them, some didn't…that was it, really…

So we fought. We always fought in the valley, that's how we got stronger. But this fight was…different. People and Pokemon fight harder when they're fighting for something, I guess. It got brutal fast. Liza tried to stop us and…one of the pro-revolutionaries killed her. Burned her…burned her alive."

Kachu sighed. "I'm sorry."

"That was when it stopped being a fight. It was a war. No rules, no restraints, no holding back. We took sides and tore the others apart." Charizard touched the necklace of teeth and horns around his neck. "Winner take all."

Pikachu's eyes widened. "Are they all…did you…"

"NO!" Charizard snapped. "No…I wouldn't…I didn't lose EVERYTHING he taught me. I just…there's just my clan left. A few dozen of us. We only just finished rebuilding the valley…found out what happened outside…"

Kachu was sympathetic, but he knew Charizard wasn't telling the whole truth. "Nido didn't give up trying to use Charicific Valley as a base. You had to have known what was happening outside."

"Only a few pieces." Charizard admitted. "One of Nido's flunkies came into the valley and told my clan the revolution had begun. Told me to celebrate since my trainer was probably dead and I was free. I tore him apart with my bare claws…" Charizard looked down at his scarred claws. "I wanted to get out, find Ash…"

"But you didn't." Kachu stated.

"I couldn't just LEAVE!" Charizard roared, tears threatening to breach his eyes. "That valley…that valley was my home! I had started a family with Charla! The followers I'd gained looked to me! I couldn't just…I wouldn't have…" Charizard quickly got his breath back and started over. "Besides…I didn't know where I could find him…and I thought he was safe with YOU."

The accusation hit Kachu hard, and the Pikachu hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry. I panicked and failed my best friend, and I have to live with that for the rest of my life." He then glanced up, looking Charizard straight in the eye. "But don't act like I'm solely responsible for what happened to him. I did what I felt was right. And again. You. Weren't. There. How much right do you have to judge me, oh King of the Valley?"

The King of the Valley didn't have an answer for Kachu. Instead, after a moment of contemplation, he replaced the skull on his head, opened his wings and took off into the sky.

Kachu watched his old friend leave and sighed sadly. He doubted that this would be the last he'd hear from the 'King of the Valley'. Right now, he needed to figure out what he'd tell the press. Those Vullabys would want something, and he was going to have to feed them…

* * *

Ash had just stepped back into the orchards. The Bluk berries were appreciated, but now Brock needed Liechi berries. He wouldn't say why. Ash had offered to help in the cooking, but Brock had insisted that he make himself busy in the orchard. Ash was happy to help, so he left Brock alone.

He had only started picking the berries when he heard something land right behind him. Turning around, he saw the Charizard that had visited earlier. Before he could ask if he could help him, the King of the Valley grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him straight in the eye.

"Wh-what?" Ash babbled, about to call for help.

"Shh. Shh. I'm not gonna hurt you. Just look me. Just listen." Charizard demanded. "You recognized me. I could tell. Even after what the king did to you. So I'm thinking…I'm thinking you're in there somewhere. So I know you can hear me. So listen."

Ash just nodded. For some reason, he wasn't scared.

Charizard was shaking as he picked up the necklace, displaying every tooth and horn on it. "You…see this? Every one of these…every one is from a Charizard I fought. I beat them all. I…I defeated them all! I'm the King of the Valley! I'm the strongest Charizard in Charicific Valley!

"That's…that's what you wanted. That's what you needed. You always said that you were going to be the best. The world's greatest Pokemon master. You were going to be the strongest."

The King of the Valley started to stammer as he looked into his former master's blank eyes.

"You were…you wanted to be the strongest. And I-I WAS your strongest. And I kept letting you down. I embarrassed you by acting like a brat, and then I… let you down with Poliwrath. I let you down with Entei. I let you down at the tournaments…I let you down when you…when you came to the Valley. Because…because I wasn't strong enough. I kept letting you down. Disappointing you…after you rescued me…"

Tears started to form in Charizard's eyes. "That's…that's why I stayed. Even after…even after I knew, because…because I couldn't let you down again. I couldn't help you if I wasn't…I wasn't strong enough. I had to be stronger. If I…I had to be the strongest I could be if I ever hoped to help you…when everything had gone insane."

Charizard dangled the necklace in front of Ash's eyes, almost crying out loud. "But look! I'm strong now! I'm the strongest there is! The strongest Charizard you could ever hope for! You're proud, right? You don't have to be ashamed of me anymore! I'm the King of the Valley! I have an army now! No-one will ever defeat us! I'm the strongest one there is!"

Ash didn't respond.

"I'M THE KING OF THE VALLEY! I'M THE STRONGEST! THE BEST! THE ONE YOU NEEDED TO BE A MASTER! I HAVE AN ARMY NOW! I…NOBODY WILL EVER DEFEAT US AGAIN! I'LL NEVER LET YOU DOWN AGAIN! I'LL…" Charizard gulped and sniffled. "I'll…I'm…I can help you now…now that I'm…"

Ash just stared back, and Charizard fell to his knees.

"I'm the strongest…and I can't help you. I should've…Kachu was right, I can't…I wasn't there. I can't…I was…" The mighty King of the Valley covered his eyes in shame. "I wasn't there. I didn't help you. And now it's too late…All I ever wanted was to make you proud. You saved me from Damien…I was going to repay you by giving you your dream…"

Without fully understanding why, Ash put a comforting hand on Charizard's shoulder. The King of the Valley looked up to see eyes that were still blank over a small smile.

Charizard forced a smile. "I know…I know you're in there. I know it. Are you…are you proud of me? Even….even though I…" His smile faded. "I didn't…"

Somewhere deep inside Ash, someone nodded reassuringly. There was no way of knowing if Charizard had seen it or not.

Eventually, Charizard stood up. "I…Charla is…expecting. If it's a son, I'll…I'll name him after you. Tell him all about you…I'll…make sure he's…someone you would be proud of…you WILL be proud…I promise."

He had to leave. He didn't belong here. There was nothing for him here. He was too late to do anything. Taking one last long look at his former master, The King of the Valley turned away. "Good…goodbye old friend. Don't…forget me." He gulped, tears flowing from his eyes like rivers.

And with that, Charizard spread his wings and took off into the sky. He could tell Ash was watching him fly off, but he couldn't look back. Afraid that he may change his mind, Charizard knew he couldn't look back. So he kept on flying.


	15. Old Friends

No matter the job, no matter the era, closing time never comes fast enough. It was nearly sundown before Tyrone could lock up his store and head to his weekly get-together with the guys. After placing the keys in his work jacket, the Typhlosion carefully adjusted a screw on his prosthetic arm and walked down the street, humming to himself while carrying a 6-pack of beer for his buddies.

Main Street in Viridian City was quiet tonight. Normally the series of shops and restaurants would be filled with Pokemon and humans, the streets crowded with market stalls and automatic dispensers. But tonight, there was almost no-one. Maybe it was because it was late, or maybe it was because winter was coming in and it was too cold to go outside. Cold never bothered Tyrone. Then again, he had a ready supply of flame to keep him warm.

Tyrone was in a good mood tonight. There'd been no irritating customers at the store that day, no thieves trying to make off with his wares, no anti-human protesters smashing in the windows, and no _pro_-human protesters smashing in the windows either. Maybe both camps had gotten the hint that he wouldn't change his store policies and had moved on. Or maybe it was just too cold for them to cause trouble. Tyrone was beginning to think he loved winter.

A few blocks down from his convenience store was a Pokemon-exclusive bar, and Tyrone wasn't at all surprised to see a teetering Spinda waddle up to him. "Heya Thopkeeper!" It slurred, the scent of fermented berries emanating from it's mouth. "Can I…uh…can I buy those beerth? I got loth of cointh left from our bar run and thtuff."

Tyrone shook his head. "Oh no. I think you've had enough to drink tonight, little guy."

The Spinda cocked his head. "How can you tell?" it asked, confused.

Tyrone couldn't help but chuckle. That was actually a good question. Spindas always tended to walk and speak like they were drunk, no matter how many drinks they'd had. Still, the overpowering smell of booze convinced Tyrone that he didn't need another beer. "Call it a gut feeling."

The Spinda tried to snap it's paws, failed, and nearly fell over. "Nuth. Oh well. It was a fun night anywayth. Now where'th Topper? He oughta be back by now…"

Tyrone blinked. "Topper?"

"Yeth, Topper! Top the Hitmontopper! Er…yeah. He thaw thome human girl hanging near the thtores over there and told me to wait for him, tho I waited."

Tyrone was suddenly concerned. This Spinda was the definition of a harmless drunk, but his friend was a different story. He was one of the anti-human protesters Tyrone had dealt with, and he was ugly when he was sober. After a few drinks… "Where did he go?"

Spinda sloppily pointed to a nearby alley. "That way. Do I get a drink fer telling you?"

But Tyrone had already ran down the alleyway.

"Aw, Nuth."

* * *

"Look, just leave me alone!" The girl with purple hair and thick black coat snapped at the Hitmontop swaying towards her menacingly, backing her up against the alley wall. Several packages were lying on the ground around her while she raised her fists defensively. "I haven't done anything to you, just let me go home!"

Topper just laughed. "Maybe not to _me,_ but you were a _trainer_, weren't ya? I betcha you done plenty to whatever poor sap was stuck with you!" Topper tightened his fists, raising them threateningly. "And now here you are, walking as pretty as you please on Main Street. Well, we can't have that!"

The fighting Pokemon charged at the girl, hand raised in a mega punch. He tried to smash the girl's face in, but his aim was sloppy enough to hit the wall behind her instead. The girl would've chuckled, but the Hitmontop was quick to recover, bouncing onto his head and spinning his legs with blinding speed.

"Time for my double-triple combo, _trainer_! Try dodging this!" he boasted, charging towards her like a whirling tank.

She didn't have to dodge. Before Topper could get within striking distance, he was blasted down the alley by an incredibly powerful flamethrower that lit up the alleyway. The girl looked to see an intimidating Typhlosion standing at the entrance of the alley, his prosthetic arm glinting in the

The now very singed Hitmontop tried to pick himself up. "What the hell…It's YOU! That the best you got, you trainer loving shopkeeper? You've never taken me on before, what makes you think – "

"That's only cause I got flammables in the shop." Tyrone growled, the flames on his back blazing like the fires of hell. The way they lit up, he looked like a demon ready to wreak havoc on the unfortunate soul who had the misfortune to cross him. "You really wanna try your luck against me NOT holding back, Topper?" he growled.

Topper shivered with nervousness for a second before running down the alleyway. "Lay off, ya lug! I'm outta here."

Once the Hitmontop was gone, Tyrone muted his flames and stepped towards the girl. "You alright, miss?" he asked.

The girl chuckled sheepishly as she picked up the bags she had dropped. "Er…yeah. I could've handled a drunk like him." She tried to assert.

Tyrone just chuckled. "I'm sure you could've. But that double-triple kick would've taken your head off."

The girl shrugged with agreement. "I…guess so. Thank you." She tried to pick up three bags at once, only for the box she was already holding to fall out of her arms. She tried to reposition it on her shoulder, but then she dropped another purse on the ground. All she could do was laugh sheepishly before trying again.

Tyrone beat her, picking up one of the bags with his prothestic paw. "Here. Let me give you a hand."

The girl just chuckled. "Oh, thanks. My ride's not far off." With Tyrone picking up some of the larger packages, she was able to carry the rest of her stuff with some ease. The Pokemon and human were soon walking out of the alley.

"You really shouldn't be shopping alone." Tyrone warned. "Especially this late."

"I usually don't, but all my friends are sick tonight." She answered. "And I like shopping later in the day. Less Pokemon hanging around." She quickly turned to her helper. "Um…no offense, but a lot of them aren't happy to see me here."

"Why not?" Tyrone asked.

"Well…I guess a lot of them are like that Hitmontop back there. Still bitter about the training days." The girl sighed. "Were they really _that_ bad?"

Tyrone shook his head. "Of course they weren't. Sure, there were plenty of jerk trainers, but they weren't everybody. Pokemon just like to insist that they were so they don't feel bad about the Revolution. I think a lot of that bitterness is just guilt trying to pretend it's not."

The girl smiled slightly. "That's pretty optimistic. How about you? What was your trainer like?"

Tyrone's eyes became faraway. "He was…good. Not amazing, but a real good kid. Made mistakes and had a lot to learn, sure. But he didn't deserve…" Tyrone stopped for a second and sighed, looking down at his replacement arm. "He was a good kid. Saved my life the day he caught me. Made me strong. That's all that matters now."

"I guess so…" She remarked, looking down at the prosthetic arm. "Hey…how'd you lose your paw?"

Tyrone sighed. "Day the revolution started, there was a riot at Oak's ranch. Revolutionaries grabbed Proffesor Oak before destroying the lab three times over. I was fighting for my life with my friends, and then suddenly my trainer and his buddies were…" Tyrone froze, his head turning to look the girl in the eye. "…right…in…the…middle…"

The girl's eyes had gone wide, and Tyrone could see their color. Greenish-blue…that hair looked like a wig, and there was something undeniably familiar about her face and voice…

"Misty?" he finally asked.

The girl gasped, then groaned. "Ugh…Jessie said that no Pokemon would see through this outfit." Misty then looked back up at Tyrone. "Wait…so you're…"

Tyrone smiled. "Yeah, it's me. Quilava!" The Typhlosion blinked. "…sorta. Heh. Sometimes I wish Ash was a little more clever with names than he was."

Misty was dumbstruck, but she still managed to chuckle. "Yeah, it was pretty confusing sometimes…wait, you survived that attack?!"

Tyrone nodded. "Barely. Once you were gone, the revolutionaries lost interest and left. The lab was destroyed and Ash was gone, there was no point in them sticking around to fight some 'loyalists'."

"So what did you do then?"

"What we had to do." Tyrone stated simply. "But once the fighting was over, I took a psychic job course and…"

"Psychic job course?" Misty asked, confused.

Tyrone blushed. "You don't know what a…oh yeah. Well, you ever wondered how the heck Pokemon could run businesses now when that was strictly a human thing before? Well, for a couple weeks there were psychic job courses where an Alakazam or a Beeheeyem or somesuch would transfer a human's knowledge and business skills to you."

Misty's face scrunched up. "Seems like cheating."

"Well…yeah, that's why they're gone now, but we kinda needed to back then. Pokemon HAD to be in charge of EVERYTHING or the revolutionaries wouldn't be happy, and we had to get the world moving back to something kinda normal kinda fast. The King himself got them set up. How do you think Kachu and Kat got to be so good at diplomacy and business so quickly?"

Misty scowled. "So you just…got on with your life after…"

Tyrone stuck his good paw out in front of Misty, stopping her in her tracks. "Stop right there." He said, his face serious. "I'm not going to be guilt-tripped for what happened. I'm sorry about what happened to Ash. I _really_ am. Like I said, he was a good kid, and he didn't deserve what happened to him. But there wasn't anything I could do. I had my life and my friends to think about, both then and now. At some point, you just have to accept things and move on."

Tyrone groaned sadly. "Yeah. Sometimes I wonder if there was something I could've done to help him. But by the time I knew where he even was…he was beyond anybody's help. And you know it."

Misty's scowl faded and her head sank. "Yeah…yeah, I get it. I was with him the whole time, and I couldn't…I couldn't…"

She suddenly collapsed, her bags falling to the ground as she buried her head in her hands. Tyrone kneeled down beside her, placing his good paw on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Misty only barely stopped herself from sobbing, and she struggled to catch her breath and keep calm.

Tyrone didn't speak, letting Misty regain control. Eventually she stood up, wiping her eyes. "I'm…I'm sorry. It's just…hard. I see him every day, and it's so hard to look at…"

"Then why stay there?" Tyrone asked sincerely. "I could use a hand at the store…or one of my friends would be happy to give you something. It won't be as fancy as Kachu's place, but…at least it wouldn't be the funeral that never ends."

Misty shook his head. "No…no. I appreciate it, really, but…I have to be there when he wakes up. When he's…himself again."

Tyrone sighed. "You really believe that will happen?"

"I have to." Misty admitted.

Tyrone just nodded. "Alright. But at least…think about it, okay? Here." Tyrone dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out a card. "If you need anything…just to sleep under another roof for a night…just call, okay?"

Misty managed to smile as she took the card. "I…I will. Thanks."

The two of them finally managed to pick up all their packages and continue walking to the parkade. The lot was in sight when Misty managed to speak again. "So…did a lot of you survive?"

"Not all of us, but…yeah." Tyrone nodded. "We've been keeping on. For everything we lost, there's good in this 'New Era'."

"Maybe." Misty acknowledged. "I guess I can't expect everybody to wallow in self-pity forever. How is…everybody?"

"Most everybody's doing okay." Tyrone answered. "Floatzel's a swimming instructor at the gym, Politoed is doing a stint as a part-time cheerleader, Pachirisu's trying to get a job at the power plant. Croagunk is…actually, I have no idea _what_ he's doing, but he's alright, I guess. Then there's…heh, you remember Psyduck?"

Misty couldn't help but groan. "Yeah. Of course HE'D survive."

Tyrone chuckled. "Yeah. You'd be happy to know he's finally evolved. Still as dumb as rocks, though. Some things never change. He's…between jobs, let's say."

Misty chuckled. "Yeah…some things never change."

Tyrone nodded. "Hey…is that your car?"

Misty looked up to see a low-key blue car. "Oh…oh yeah, that's mine." Digging into her pockets, she unlocked the car doors and placed her bags inside. Tyrone did the same, placing her packages inside. "Thanks again." She remarked as she stepped into the car.

"No problem." Just before she closed the door, Tyrone's good paw held it open for a second. He looked Misty straight in the eye before speaking again. "And listen.

"If you're right…if Ash does wake up…could you tell him that none of regret meeting him. That we wouldn't trade our time with him for anything. Tell him that, Ok?"

Misty nodded, smiling. "I will. Thank you."

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to call." Tyrone smiled and closed the door. After he'd watched the car drive off, he picked up his 6-pack and quickly went on his way.

* * *

The door opened to a female Beartic. Once she saw Tyrone, she crossed her arms and gave him a look. "You're late." She stated.

Tyrone smiled and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Sorry. I took a little detour." The Typhlosion slipped past his girlfriend and walked into the basement of their modest house.

Sitting at a round green table with poker cards in their paws were a Pachirisu, Floatzel, Politoed, Croagunk and Golduck. They all had new names, but Typhlosion couldn't help but remember them by the names their trainers had once called them by. Croagunk was the first to speak up. "You're late, Tyson. We started without you."

Tyrone shrugged and placed the beers on the table. "Sorry about that. Can you deal me in?"

"You betcha, Ty!" Pachirisu chirped, handing him several cards. Politoed was the first to grab a beer rom Tyrone's 6-pack. He always brought the best beer.

"So what happen?" Golduck asked. "Why you late?"

Typhlosion sat down and sighed, smiling sadly. He glanced up at a framed photograph on the wall. Five young Pokemon trainers and all their Pokemon, standing together smiling. He was in the lower corner between Heracross and Crobat, two friends that hadn't survived the revolution.

And his trainer. His dumb, infuriating, stubborn, cheerful, wonderful trainer. Ash was smiling broadly, happy to just be surrounded by his friends, eyes bright with hopes and dreams. That was how Tyrone wanted to remember him.

"I ran into an old friend on the way."

* * *

Well, not as big an emotionally intense as last chapter, but I figured we could all use a break from that. Please read and review!


	16. Movies

Dusk on Route 111. For miles all around, there was nothing but sand. Even without the near-constant blinding sandstorms, the nearest town couldn't be seen. The fading sun cast thick shadows across the dunes, hiding almost everything in darkness. It was perfect for someone who wanted to take care of business without anyone seeing him.

The Blaziken stared down the field of foes. Dozens – no, hundreds – of Black Fog henchmen, all aiming their shadow cannons straight at him. Daring him to make a move. Every henchman was wearing an identical outfit – dark purple armor that resembled Haunter, almost fading into the darkness. Their guns were similarly colored and designed – the Black Fog was nothing if not stylish. There were too many here to fight, even for him…

At the other end of the field, the Black Fog himself stepped out of his car. He was an impressive sight, with his stylized Gengar mask covering his face and a ragged cape billowing around him. The man smirked smugly. "Looks like you're finally cornered, you irritating chicken. This is what you get for interfering with my plans, Blazer!"

Blazer scowled at the Black Fog, the criminal mastermind he had been tracking for years. "Oh no…" he smirked. "It's YOU who's finally cornered."

The Black Fog snorted contemptuously. "Tough talk for a dead bird."

A female voice buzzed in Blazer's ear. "Blaze, listen. I'm looking at the heat signals…"

"Get to the point, now…" Blazer hissed desperately, knowing that he didn't have much time.

The Black Fog raised his hand to signal his huge army. "Boys, fry this chicken."

"It's all an illusion! There are only six henchmen, in a circle 7 feet away from you!"

Blazer smiled. "Thank you, May."

Before any of the henchmen could pull their triggers, Blazer let loose with a powerful fire spin attack. The flames swiftly radiated out, consuming the fake footsoldiers closest to Blazer and knocking back the few real ones. None of the others moved when the fire was fading away, standing there like dummies. It was almost comical.

The six actual henchmen fell to the ground. While their armor protected them from the heat of the flames, their shadow cannons were blaring their current worthlessness with overheating alarms.

Blazer smirked. "You guys should know better than to wear black when you know it's gonna be hot."

With his witty one-liner out of the way, Blazer sprinted towards the Black Fog himself. Phasing thought phantom henchmen, all he could see was the head of the organization, just standing next to his car. It was like he was waiting for him…

Blazer was a fast runner, and within seconds, he had grabbed the Black Fog by his cloak. The Blaziken smiled, pleased to finally have the criminal mastermind that had dogged him his entire life in his grasp. "Now…time to lose the mask, Black Fog!" he declared.

The Gengar mask was torn off to reveal…"PAT?" Blazer screamed in pure disbelief as he stared down at his friend, tears forming in his eyes as the betrayal became clear. "But…but it can't be! I trusted you! YOU were the Black Fog this entire time?!"

Pat, the green-haired man behind the mask, just smirked in response. "Oh, it's not quite as simple as that, Blazey…"

Suddenly, Blazer was blasted back with a powerful Shadow Ball, sending him toppling back from Pat and landing several feet away. The Blaziken picked himself up to look at the Black Fog again.

Pat got onto his feet unsteadily, looking at Blazer with a sadistic grin on his face. Suddenly, the human started twitching and convulsing as a black fog started emanating from his body. The blackness slowly condensed, and Pat limply fell to the ground unconscious.

The living shadow laughed maniacally. "You have no imagination, Blazer. It was so easy to fool you and everyone else, so much fun to tease you with false leads and evidence. It never once occurred to you…that the Black Fog, the world's greatest criminal mastermind…could be something like ME!"

The shadow finally took full form, revealing a grinning Gengar.

The true Black Fog laughed in triumph at Blazer's shocked expression. "Confused, chicken? It was ME all along! All I had to do was keep switching bodies and nobody ever caught on! And now that you're here, I'll– "

"STOP!"

Blazer and the Black Fog both turned towards the interrupting sound. "What?" they said flatly.

A Barbaracle came running up to the scene. "NO! I will not stand for this! This is ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!"

"What's ridiculous is you ruining this scene!" Gengar ranted furiously. "I practiced for weeks on this speech! This was gonna be my big scene! I was so excited!"

Blaziken's face fell into his palm. "You didn't read the script to the end." He deduced. "Why didn't you read the script before you signed on?"

The Barbaracle muttered, caught. "Uh…I thought I didn't have to."

Throwing up his hands, Blazer waved everyone else off. "Stop it…stop filming. Shoot's ruined. Just stop."

And with that, a film crew and countless cameras scattered around the field materialized out of nowhere. The film crew, which consisted of Chespin, Munchlax, Dedenne, Hawlucha, and a young human, all collectively groaned with disappointment. The humans dressed in Black Fog armor got up and removed their helmets, and the one playing 'Pat' picked himself up and brushed himself off. The Zoroark who had been concealing the cameras and providing special effects got up in Barbaracle's face and roared. "YOU IDIOT! You just HAD to make a scene NOW! We've lost the light!"

The Chespin manning the one of the cameras tried to calm her down. "Easy, girl. We just need to reshoot the reveal scene tomorrow. We can still use everything that came before. Relax."

"Don't call me GIRL!" Zoroark snapped. "And we're NEVER going to get the lighting right! Everything was perfect until THIS loser decided to get uppity!"

The sole human cameraman, a young man with glasses, managed to gently pull away the Zoroark from the Barbaracle. "Come on, Zoe. You know what he's trying to do."

"We never should have brought him on, Luke…" Zoe whispered to her former trainer.

As they were walking away, Blaziken, Gengar and the human playing 'Pat' all turned to glare at the intruding Barbaracle. "Ok, Barton. What is it?" Blazer demanded.

Barton the Barbaracle had withered somewhat after the verbal assault from Zoe, and the irritated glares from the two larger Pokémon weren't doing much to help him. And the human just made things awkward…"Err…come on, you don't see the problem here? I mean…well, the twist comes out of nowhere!"

"There were hints throughout the movie, which you would've caught if you'd _read the script._ Blazer insisted. "The false leads that weren't really false, the fact that he never showed his face to anyone, the multiple voices, the scene at the restaurant, the fact he changed actors through the movies, we put out a theory online that it was multiple people wearing the mask, heck…" The Blaziken picked up one of the prop weapons. "The PROPS practically give him away from the beginning!"

"…Maybe, but the twist itself…It's too different! It changes everything, ruining the movie!"

Blazer just facepalmed. "You're complaining about a plot twist changing everything? That's the entire POINT of a twist. And it's high time something changed in this industry. Too many movies with the same plot. Audiences are getting bored."

"Well…um…" the Barbaracle searched for another reason that he could use. "Er…it's…it…feeds stereotypes about Ghost Pokémon! There's gonna be mass terror!"

"Is that all?" Gengar chuckled, floating around like a balloon with a big grin on his face. "What with me possessing 'Pat' here? Come on. We LIKE being feared. It's practically what we're made for! If you're really worried, we'll add something in the special features about how we faked that whole possession thing. By the way…" Gengar patted the human's head encouragingly. "That was very, very good, Pat."

"My name is Cilan, not 'Pat'." The human sighed, feeling a little like a performing dog being praised. "And I think Barton is more upset about a Pokémon being the villain."

"At least the human sees the issue! Er, no offense." Barton backtracked awkwardly. "I mean…the audience isn't going to like this at all. It's gonna reflect badly on the Pokémon..."

Cilan growled under his breath. "As someone who's had his entire species vilified movie after movie, I almost sympathize."

Gengar blinked. "Eh?"

Blazer sighed. "Cilan's got a point. Too many films these days have the villain played by a trainer. It's a cliché, and a insensitive one at that."

"Insensitive?" Barton groaned. "Oh, the poor, poor humans. Maybe you've forgotten the days when they shoved us in those tiny balls, made us try to kill each other, all over some stupid title, plastic badge or fake gold trophy! They've EARNED their villain cred!" He then remembered Cilan was still there, glaring at him. "Nuh…nothing against you, kid. I swear. You probably weren't even a trainer."

"Actually, I was a gym leader." Cilan snarled under his breath, his fists bunching up. "And NONE of the Pokémon I trained think I was a villain."

"How do you know?" Barton snapped. "It's easy to remember things in your favor. You ever ask 'em?"

"I LIVE with them."

Barton swallowed hard. "Er…aheh…just…forget I said that. But…okay, but Blazer, man, you've already done plenty to fix that. I mean, you got human friends, a human sidekick…letting a human get billed as a cameraman, even…it'd be fine to have a human villain…"

"That would be one step forward, two steps back." Blazer growled, growing more and more impatient with Barton. He instinctively stepped between him and Cilan, sensing that it would get ugly fast. "Any more played-straight demonized humans and we'll be facing protests."

"And we won't have protesters for this? At least humans don't have flame breath and poison attacks that'll destroy the theatres if they get angry!" Barton countered.

"**What's wrong with my fists?!**" Cilan snapped, leaping at Barton.

"Gah! Don't hurt me, you lunatic!" Barton cried, jumping back in shock at the human's outburst.

Luckily, Blazer and Gengar had managed to hold Cilan back from striking Barton. Cilan struggled against them for a second before slumping in defeat. Barton smirked smugly, but his smile faded when Gengar and Blazer looked up to glare furiously at him.

"You should leave." Blazer said flatly.

Barton blinked, confused. "But…but he's the one who…"

"NOW." Both Pokémon snapped. Barton turned tail and ran back to his trailer, wanting to get far away from the two of them. They all watched him flee, and once he was far enough away, they released Cilan from their grip.

Cilan breathed in and out for a minute before sighing. "I'm sorry, I just…I couldn't let him talk like that…I just…"

"He was trying to start a fight." Blazer explained wearily. "If you had attacked him, you would be the one in trouble."

"Of course I'd be." Cilan groaned, rubbing his forehead with his hand.

Gengar floated back around to face Cilan. "I don't understand. I thought you _liked_playing the villain." It asked, genuinely confused.

Cilan managed to smile. "Well…yes, it's quite a fun flavor. Actually it was…_is_ my favorite part to play. Back then, there wasn't such an…awkward stigma to having a human play the role…"

"Well, yeah, but you were the only ones in the lead roles back then." Gengar pointed out.

Cilan shrugged. "I suppose that's true. Funny how things look in hindsight, nowadays..."

Blazer patted Cilan on the shoulder. "Listen, why don't you just head back to the trailers and grab something to eat before Munchlax cleans it all off. Don't worry about that idiot Barton; I'll take care of him. You did great today, you've earned yourself a rest."

Cilan didn't argue with the Blaziken. With a shrug, the human trudged back to his trailer for a good night's rest. He really needed some sleep, that much was true.

Gengar turned back to Blazer, smiling conspiratorially. "You'll 'take care of him', eh? Can I help with that? I can sneak up behind him…make him disappear."

Blazer held up a cautioning claw. "Don't try anything, 'Black Fog'." He warned as he walked back to his own trailer. "I'll handle this."

Gengar winked back before bouncing off to… wherever he slept at night. "Okie-dokie, Blazer. But give me a howl if you need my help to 'take care' of anything." He laughed before vanishing.

The Blaziken just sighed and stepped into his trailer. While Blazer was hardly poor, having made more than a few popular movies during the last few years of the 'New Era', his trailer was more than a little old and run-down. The vehicle was covered with bruises, burns and scars, small mementos of each location they had shot at. He preferred to shoot on location rather than rely on special effects for the setting, and to take the scenic route rather than rely on teleportation for everything. Maybe the years before the revolution had just made him sentimental about traveling the world.

Blazer clicked the light switch on, illuminating his mobile home. There were a few souvenirs from his travels before and after the revolution – a box of old ribbons, some awards his movies had won, including a commendation from Lord Kachu himself. Otherwise, everything was utilitarian – unlike his friend in Sinnoh, he didn't have the taste or the patience for luxury items. The near-constant risk of fire was also a factor. A fireproof fold-out bed that served part-time couch duty, a small but well-stocked kitchen, a few handy extinguishers and a satellite TV and phone for networking.

Blazer picked up and phone and hit speed dial. "Hello. It's Blazer." He greeted, making himself comfortable on his couch. "Yeah. It happened. Not as bad as you were worried it'd be, but not good."

Blazer wearily shook his head. "Guys' name is Barton. One of the producers. I think the ex-revolutionaries got him on board to spy on us. He doesn't have the pull he thinks he does, though. Tried started a shouting match, nearly got Cilan to hit him. No, no he didn't. Barely. Cilan's never been violent…I guess Barton pushed too many buttons at once. Of course I'll talk to him later. Okay…"

As the voice on the other end continued talking, Blazer picked up a box of old ribbons and stared at it, reminiscing. Eventually Blazer smiled. "Thanks, I appreciate it. Do what you can. Oh…and did May see the movie?" His smile faded slightly."…I didn't mean to insult her, I just thought…oh, that's okay. Any chance I could talk to her? Right, I forgot about the time difference. Just let her know I called."

Cradling the phone in his shoulder, Blazer got up and started setting up his bed. The voice on the phone wasn't done talking to him, however. "Yes, I know this won't be the end of it. No…no…I gotcha. I know what I'm doing. I can assure you, this'll do more than half of the bylaws you can pass."

The voice became incredulous, and Blazer sighed. "Come on, you know as well as I do that society's shaped by it's entertainment. People and Pokémon have their views and outlooks changed based on what they see in the movies or TV. Especially kids- what they see and learn when they're young affects what they are when they grow up. That's why there was so many movies vilifying trainers and humans when the new era started. Everyone was trying to justify everything that…"

Blazer froze when he realized what he was telling his friend. "Um…yeah. You know what I'm talking about. Nowadays, after…that, there's plenty of sympathetic humans in the movies, and it's definitely helping. But the main baddie is always human, and there's almost never a negative portrayal of Pokémon. Everybody's insisting that they're all blameless victims, incapable of doing anything wrong. So, I'm just gonna shake that up."

The Blaziken smiled wryly. "Yes, I know an action flick is only gonna do so much. But this is the hottest movie in theatres. It'll have an impact. Get everyone talking, if nothing else…yeah, yeah. Baby steps, buddy…Ok. Ok, thanks. Yeah, see what you can do about Barton."

The voice chattered for a second longer before saying goodbye. "Goodnight, Kachu. Give May my best." Blazer replied, hanging up the phone.

Before turning the lights off for the night, Blazer quietly pondered what he'd just assured his former travelling buddy. What _was_ he going to accomplish? It was true that entertainment and the media shaped public consciousness to an almost frightening degree…but would his movies really affect that much, all things considered?

Eventually, Blazer just shrugged and turned the lights off. No matter what his efforts did or didn't do, what mattered was that he was working to make things better in his own way. And every little bit helped. That thought comforted him as he laid back, closing his eyes…

Through half-closed eyes, he caught a glimpse of a teeth-filled smile just above him. "Go to sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep…" a voice hissed menacingly.

Flames blasted out of the trailer windows, illuminating the desert night for a split second. Once that second passed, giggling laughter and furious expletives echoed over the desert sands of Route 111.


	17. Messed up

It had been a very…disillusioning few weeks for Futakh.

When he was little (which wasn't that long ago in human years- Pokemon grew up very fast), he had heard countless stories about the Revolution from his father, his friends, the friends of his father, and the fathers of his friends. All credible sources…or at least he'd thought so. All of them had entertained him with glorious tales of the Pokemon Revolution, how they had conquered the tyrannical humans, how they had fought with nobility and honor, how they had brought an end to years of slavery, how they had forged a new life for their children.

A few years later, he was much older (in Pokemon years) and wiser, and he knew he couldn't rely entirely on the stories his friends and family had told him. Especially since he'd overheard at least once how his father and friends were…not exactly in the thick of the battle. So he looked towards the movies and documentaries made by Pokemon who knew more about the events, like Nido the Great and Riptide and Anders. They all confirmed what he had imagined, how the Pokemon had rose up against the cruel taskmasters of humanity, bringing a stop to the abusive practice of 'Pokemon training'.

Futakh dreamed of being like them, his heroes. The Revolutionaries. They had made the world a better place for everyone. Pokemon were no longer enslaved. Humanity…well, they understood their place, and looking at the world outside, they were pretty well off, all things considered. A lot better off than some of them deserved to be. Everyone was happier.

At least, that's what he'd thought.

It started the night of the anniversary of the first attack. Emboldened by a few drinks at a friend's celebration, a friend of his – Jairek - had called up Kachu to ask why there wasn't any big celebrations or parades on this big day. Futakh had overheard the conversation, and was quite surprised by what Kachu, who had gained the most from the Revolution, said about it.

_"I realize it's an important day for the revolutionaries. I know it signalled the great change. Anyone you ask has a story about that day. But do you know what happened, exactly? I'll tell you. Hundreds of people and Pokemon alike killed. An entire way of life destroyed violently. The beginning of a long, bloody war that took countless lives and nearly destroyed the world. We do not celebrate the start of the war, Jairek."_

This had confused Futakh at first, but he eventually just shrugged it off and continued with the party. Kachu was free to think what he wanted about the war. And he had quite an ugly history with Nido…

But then there was that interview with Kat. Futakh worked as an intern for one the bigger advertisement companies, and he'd been tasked with coming up with a new campaign for the voicebox module. Since public opinion on Nido was quite high and he himself had commissioned the device, it seemed natural to use his likeness to promote the device.

But Kat had dissuaded that notion and told him the real story of what had happened. How Nido had commissioned it purely to gloat to some trainer who may or may not have been his own. Just how…unhinged the revolutionary had actually been. How ugly the Revolution actually was.

It's always disappointing to find out that your idols weren't what you hoped they were.

Of course, everyone accepted that Nido hadn't been…well in the head since the Revolution ended. He'd been quoted as saying that the War should've continued until humanity had been completely exterminated, and there had been several…fights that nobody would talk about. Futakh always felt that that was due to him being a fighter in a world that didn't need fighters anymore. Once everyone was working for peace, he was not the revolutionary king anymore. It was like that movie had said…'you die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain'.

But Kat had indicated that he had been a 'villain' long before the revolution had started.

Once the doubts had started popping up, Futakh tried to assuage them by revisiting the documentaries and docudramas he had once enjoyed. But Kat's words tainted everything he saw about Nido…determination started looking like obsession, zeal looked like bloodlust, and underneath it all was rage that was more and more disturbing the more he saw of it.

Something kept tripping Futakh up, though. If Nido really was that crazy and petty before the Revolution had ended, no-one would've followed him. Especially not the Psychics, who could read minds and see whether his intentions were good or not. Of course, it was possible that he could 'mask his thoughts' to hide from them (there were classes on how to do so) but most Pokemon could tell right away if someone was crazy or bloodthirsty or all that…

Couldn't they?

At any rate, Futakh would feel better if he had more information from someone closer to the source. Someone closer to Nido himself. With a little digging, he'd tracked down one of the liutenants that had been in charge of Paul, the trainer Nido had a grudge against. If nothing else, he could confirm or deny Kat's story for certain.

The Dewott took another look at the address in his hand before glancing up at the dilapidated shack. The one-story cabin looked more like a rotting cardboard box than a proper house – even the slums the Humans occupied were better maintained than this. Unintentially sniffing the air, Futakh crinkled his nose at the scent of old alcohol wafting from the yard.

Resolving the keep his visit short, Futakh stepped up to the threshold and tentavely knocked on the door. The old wooden plank creaked open, inviting Futakh into the ruined place. Despite his reservations getting stronger and stronger with every step he took, the Dewott pressed himself forward.

Inside was a little better. There wasn't any garbage on the floor or rotting food or anything like that. Just a few empty beer bottles scattered about that Futakh was careful to step around. But despite being cleaner than the outside, the inside was hardly welcoming. It was just barren…there was almost nothing inside the place, no pictures or flowers or commendations or anything. It felt completely empty, making Futakh wonder if it was really worth it to come here.

He heard something coming from another room. A TV broadcast? Futakh quietly approached the room to look inside. It was a tiny room, with little more than two chairs and a TV screen.

Futakh craned his neck to look at the screen. Someone was interviewing a Pignite…wait, he recognized that Pignite. It was Anders, the veteran that had been murdered by that human, kicking off the events that led to Nido's death. This was a recording of one of the first Revolutionary interviews that had taken place during the New Era.

_"Can you tell me about your former trainer?"_ The Whismur interviewer was asking.

_"Yeah...I can talk about him. His name was Shamus. He was a fire-type trainer, called himself the…uh…"_

The recording abruptly stopped, and Futakh turned to see the Pokemon holding the remote control.

Slumped in one of the chairs was an Infernape that was very much past his prime. His once strong muscles had withered with underuse, his belly had developed a beer gut, his fur had gone scraggly and unkempt, and even the flame atop his head seemed to have dimmed. It was hard to believe that this was once one of Nido's strongest lieutenants.

"Erm…hello." Futakh waved nervously, trying to smile before the weary scowl on the fire monkey's face.

"Hello." A gravelly voice replied through the old voicebox on his throat. "You Fattah?"

Futakh nodded. "Er…Futakh, yes. Thanks for speaking to me."

Infernape snorted. "Do not thank me. You are the first thing to talk to me in years. Sit."

After a second of hesitation, Futakh carefully sat down on the other chair. He adjusted his seat nervously before posing his question. "I just…wanted to ask you about…I've heard that Nido commissioned you to watch…a certain trainer?"

Infernape groaned. "Yeah. Mine."

"Yours?"

The Infernape rubbed his forehead. "Paul. Nido called him 'the distilled essence of trainers'. Kind of agree. He was everything bad about trainers, anyway. Slave driver, arrogant, selfish, obsessed with power, thought it was all about him, all that stuff.

He thought I was powerful, so he worked me harder than any of his other Pokemon. Least, that is what I thought at first. Had all of them attack me at once to test my reflexes. Started avalanches to make me dodge the rocks. Rarely healed me, so I'd get tougher. Always told me I was weak. I was a kid, and I figured I had been taken by the devil."

Futakh nodded. "I know."

Infernape just looked at him incredulously.

"Er…I mean, I saw the movie. I mean…um…y-yeah, the movie. Would you say that was accurate?"

Infernape rolled his eyes. "About as accurate as most movies these days. But yeah, he was nasty. Sometimes I would dream about turning on him, burning that damn smirk off his face. Once and for all. But I did not think I could. Did not think I had the power.

And the worst of it was, sometimes I'd look around and see other Pokemon, and they smiled and sat on their trainer's shoulders and cuddle up to their humans…made me think I was the only one in the entire world who had to suffer this abuse. It just…it was not fair. Not to me. Why me? Why do I have to be miserable when everyone else is happy?

That was when I met Nidoking."

Futakh scratched his head. "You mean Nido."

"Yes. Him." Infernape tapped the voicebox on his throat. "This thing is old. Broken. Sorry if I am not clear."

Futakh nodded in understanding. "How did you meet?"

"Through dreams." Infernape said, something resembling a smirk crossing his face.

The Dewott blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"Nidoking had a network of psychics set up, communicating through telepathy to any Pokemon on their side, or Pokemon who might be on their side. That is how he kept it secret." Infernape reached down to the bottle of alcohol that was sitting beside him. "I first met Nido in a dream. I know how it sounds. Thought it was crazy at first, too. So he had me meet him and Anders somewhere else. That was when he brought me in.

"He told me he knew what I was going through, and that I was not alone. That countless other Pokemon were going through the same thing. Anders told me what happened to him. What happened to others. Pokemon being hurt, beaten, humiliated, all for the sake of the trainers. I was not the only one, and I did not even have it the worst.

"He told me it had always been like that for everybody, and that it always would be. Unless we did something."

Infernape took a drink out of his bottle.

"I wanted to do something. I was young. I had been beaten down for so long, and here was a chance for me to rise up. And I would not be alone. Not anymore. You have no idea how I felt then." Infernape smiled slightly. "I was ready to change the world."

"Course…All Nidoking needed me to do was keep an eye on Paul, so I had to bear with him for some time. But I could do it. I was tough, and I knew that one day soon, I would get to break him down. Repay him tenfold for all the abuse he had given me. I could not wait to see the look on his face when it happened. And then…"

Suddenly, Infernape tensed up, tightening his fist around the bottle in his hands and gritting his teeth.

Futakh swallowed. "What happened?"

Infernape let his forehead sink into his free hand. "Paul threw me away, and I got a new trainer. And he messed everything up. EVERYTHING."

"How?"

"He was NICE."

Futakh blinked again. "I…don't follow…"

"I failed Paul, and he threw me out like trash. Like I was nothing. Released me and walked away. And right there was his rival, some kid named Ash. He…the minute after Paul had walked away, he offered to…to take me in. To train me himself. He smiled at me…Paul never did that. He never smiled, period.

"I think…At the time, I was worried about letting down Nido. I figured I could keep on Paul is tail if I went with his rival. That and…he smiled…so I went with him."

Futakh cocked his head in confusion. "And he messed you up?"

Infernape looked down at the bottle in his hand. "While I was with Paul…when Nido found me…I was so sure about the cause. So many suffering Pokemon, so much abuse…I was going to help end it. That would be my ultimate contribution to the world. How I would change the world. Wipe out all the trainers like Paul and Shamus. They were all the same, and the world would be better off without them.

"And then…Ash."

Infernape threw the bottle aside. "He…he treated me right! He treated me like a pet, sure, but…he smiled at me, encouraged me, comforted me when I was sick…and he did the same for all of his Pokemon! I could never let him down, I could never disappoint him, I could never fail him, even when I DID!" He tried to wipe away any evidence of tears from his eyes.

"And the worst of it was…He made me strong. HE made me strong enough for Nido, not Paul! All because he…he was nice! He treated me right, trained me right…and it was all because he…he…" Infernape quivered with a combination of rage and sorrow.

"Sounds like he was…" Futakh started, but he couldn't find a good word. To him, a 'good trainer' sounded like an oxymoron.

"That is the funny thing." Infernape shook his head. "He was not. Not entirely. He…played favorites, he ignored the obvious, he would not learn…would not let himself learn. Chronic underachiever. A part of why he took me in was to prove his rival wrong. Did not have a clue about anything otherwise.

"But none of it mattered because he was nice! And he was nice and he messed me up! The Sinnoh tournament…I WANTED to win it for him. I WANTED to fight for him! I was not supposed to…to WANT to fight for a trainer! I needed to FIGHT the trainer…to defeat him! Destroy him! The entire time I was with him, I was so confused! I was so sure before, and now he was messing me up!"

Futakh swallowed nervously. Infernape was sounding more and more agitated, and the flame on his head was growing more intense. "Did you…you ask Nido about it?"

Settling down somewhat, Infernape sighed. "Yes. I did. He just told me that it was a ruse, that it did not change what he was doing, that he was doing it for his own benefit rather than mine. But it was the first time I had…ever been treated well, and I did not want to think it was not real. But then he told me 'If he truly emphasizes with you, cares for Pokemon, then would not he understand why the Revolution is needed?'" Infernape groaned miserably. "'He would be happier when we have done our work.'

I…I wanted to win the tournament for him. Because I thought he deserved to win. Because…" Infernape couldn't hide the tears anymore. "Because it would be his last chance…ever."

Futakh scratched his head. He didn't want to say 'Stockholme Syndrome', but it sounded like it…but at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder if this was genuine loyalty. "But…did you?"

"No." Infernape slumped back in his seat. "Like I said. Chronic underachiever. And he did not know the stakes. None of them did. I thought about telling them, all the time…but I did not." His eyes became faraway. "Sometimes I wish I did. But at least…we beat Paul. I do not think we beat him enough, but we defeated him. Ash did not win the tournament, but at least Paul was denied too. That…that is something, right?"

"I suppose…"

"And then the Revolution happened, and…I…" Infernape looked around for another bottle, but he couldn't find one. He suddenly started shivering with anger, his brow furrowing into a scowl and his flame becoming more intense.

Futakh pulled back, frightened. "…s…sir?"

"HE MESSED ME UP!" Infernape roared. "He…screwed everything up! This is…the revolution was supposed to make everything right! Make the world better for us! And it did! Did not it?! But I can not enjoy it, because of HIM! Why did he have to be_nice_?! Why did he have to be…"

Infernape got up and started pacing. "He did not just mess me up. No. He messed everybody up. He messed Kachu up. He messed Kat up. He messed the Council. He messed _Nidoking_ up. He messed Anders up. Even _before_ he smashed his face in."

Futakh's eyes went wide. "This…this was the trainer who…"

"Yes." Infernape confirmed. "_That_ Ash." Infernape sank back into his chair. "He beat Anders to a pulp, but the thing is…Anders did not fight back. He was a strong fighter, he could have blasted Ash off easy. But he did not. And when they pulled his body out…he was _smiling_. He was killed and he was _SMILING_."

A fist smashed into the chair's armrests. "He messed EVERYTHING up for EVERYONE. Everything that is messed up with this Era can be traced right back to him. He is the center of the universe, just because he was NICE!

"It is not FAIR! I worked hard for this Revolution, I fought for Pokemon everywhere, I sought to free them all from the oppression. But Ash ruined everything for me. And he never even knew it. I should be happy now. The days of trainers are over. But I am not. No one is, not really. Because of him."

Infernape looked at something in his paw. "The day the war broke out, Nidoking told me and Anders he wanted to meet this Ash, so he ordered us and others to pick him up. I…do not know why he wanted him. I doubted that it was just to talk. He was still…sane then, but…I was scared. So I…did not get him. Let him escape."

Infernape shook his head sadly. "Sometimes I wonder if things would have turned out better if I had caught him. Brought him to Nidoking from the start. Maybe he would have understood. Maybe…it would not be as bad as it is now. Maybe things would not be so messed up. Or maybe not."

He fell silent after that, and it was a minute before Futakh spoke up again. "What about Paul?"

"Nidoking found another spy in his ranks. So he captured him easily. Waited until some anniversary before he had us bring him to him. He gloated, got angry. And he killed him. Drilled right through his heart. That is all there is to say."

_So Kat's story was true._ Futakh realized. "Was it worth it? You hated Paul, was it worth it to…"

"No." Was all he said.

Neither of them spoke again for a long time. Eventually, Futakh sat up and started walking out. "Th-thank you…"

"No. Thank you." Infernape sighed. "No one talks to me anymore. No one listens to me. My friends do not want to see me. None of them. And I needed to talk to someone before..."

Futakh smiled slightly. "You're welcome."

"Before you go…" Infernape got up and removed a tape from the VCR. "Take this. I am done watching it."

He handed Futakh the tape, who looked at it with confusion. "Anders' interview? Um…Thank you, but I've seen it…"

"You saw half of it. They edited it out for the broadcast. This is the whole thing."

"Oh…okay." Futakh nodded. "Well…I should get going."

"Yeah." The Infernape nodded. "See you later."

Futakh walked out, tape in hand, into the slowly setting sun. What was it about him that encouraged Pokemon to tell him these long stories? It would be dark by the time he got home. Still, it was just an inconvenience.

What really troubled him was what he found out. It seemed like nobody who was actually involved in the Revolution was actually happy about it. Kachu, Kat, Infernape…All of them seemed more consumed with regrets then happy about where they were now. And if Infernape was telling the truth, it all came back to this one trainer. This one trainer who had been nice.

Could one trainer really have that much of an impact.

Futakh looked down at the tape in his hands. Maybe Anders could explain things…

I'm really unsure if this chapter really contributes anything, so feel free to critique it or PM me ideas on how to make it better. I can take criticism, long as it's constructive.


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